WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.319 Welcome to the Awakening Church podcast. 00:00:02.479 --> 00:00:07.040 We pray this message encourages you and provides the hope and light of Jesus Christ. 00:00:07.200 --> 00:00:08.640 Thanks for tuning in. 00:00:19.839 --> 00:00:22.800 Today we're kicking off a series called Just Us. 00:00:22.879 --> 00:00:24.239 Go ahead and say that out loud. 00:00:25.359 --> 00:00:30.239 This is a series that I've wanted to do for well over a year. 00:00:30.559 --> 00:00:47.679 And the reason I haven't done it is yet until now was I really wanted to wait until there wasn't some pressing reactionary thing to give this series when we're talking about justice, because I don't want it to be a reaction to something. 00:00:47.840 --> 00:00:50.719 This is about who we are as followers of Jesus. 00:00:50.880 --> 00:00:54.960 This is our calling and our ethos and who we're to be. 00:00:55.280 --> 00:00:58.560 I remember the series titles came from I was listening to Dr. 00:00:58.640 --> 00:00:59.600 Ephraim Smith. 00:00:59.679 --> 00:01:06.480 He was preaching and he quoted somebody, and I don't know who he quoted, and I couldn't find it, so I'm going to just give him the credit for it. 00:01:06.719 --> 00:01:08.159 And he had this line. 00:01:08.400 --> 00:01:14.400 He said, When Christ returns, Jesus returns, there will be ultimate justice. 00:01:15.040 --> 00:01:18.079 When he comes, he's going to right every wrong. 00:01:18.239 --> 00:01:20.640 There will be no more evil on this planet. 00:01:20.799 --> 00:01:21.760 He will restore. 00:01:21.840 --> 00:01:26.000 There will be no pain and suffering, no more weeping. 00:01:26.319 --> 00:01:29.359 Until then, it's just us. 00:01:30.239 --> 00:01:32.959 Until then, it's just us. 00:01:34.159 --> 00:01:48.480 Until then, we the church are called to be his hands and his feet to bring life and hope and restoration to a hurting and broken world. 00:01:48.799 --> 00:01:52.159 You know, in the new year we make new plans, don't we? 00:01:52.480 --> 00:01:56.239 Set new goals, have new dreams. 00:01:57.599 --> 00:02:02.319 I just wonder, this new year's 2022, have you considered this? 00:02:02.640 --> 00:02:08.240 In all those goal setting plans and dream casting, and I love the new year, by the way. 00:02:08.879 --> 00:02:10.719 Have you asked this question? 00:02:12.240 --> 00:02:17.039 What does God desire for you in 2022? 00:02:18.240 --> 00:02:29.280 I know your dreams, I know your goals, your plans, but have you wrestled what does God really desire for you from you in 2022? 00:02:29.759 --> 00:02:38.719 And as a church, we must ask this question well, what does God desire for us as a church? 00:02:40.080 --> 00:02:41.120 Better yet. 00:02:42.800 --> 00:02:44.319 Maybe you've not thought of this before. 00:02:44.479 --> 00:02:50.319 What does he actually require of us as a church? 00:02:51.919 --> 00:02:57.919 The scripture speaks clearly of what he desires and what he requires. 00:02:58.240 --> 00:03:08.080 And no more, I think, clear statement can be found about what God has for you and what God has for us. 00:03:09.199 --> 00:03:14.639 Is in 2022 can be found in Micah chapter 6, verse 8. 00:03:14.800 --> 00:03:20.159 In fact, if you have your Bibles, would you go ahead and open up to Micah chapter 6, verse 8? 00:03:20.400 --> 00:03:22.240 Micah, it's in the Old Testament. 00:03:22.319 --> 00:03:24.000 He's a prophet, he's a minor prophet. 00:03:24.080 --> 00:03:28.400 They're called minor, not because they're insignificant, it's just they had shorter letters, that's all. 00:03:28.960 --> 00:03:30.560 He's a minor prophet. 00:03:30.719 --> 00:03:37.599 He's prophesying, this is written somewhere between the time of 750 BC and 700 BC. 00:03:37.840 --> 00:03:42.879 He's a contemporary of the prophet Isaiah as well, among some others. 00:03:43.039 --> 00:03:57.280 Now, at the time, um Israel used to be a unified kingdom, and it eventually split a lot of different reasons for that, but into a northern kingdom and a southern kingdom. 00:03:57.599 --> 00:04:06.960 The northern kingdom was called Israel, the southern kingdom was called Judah, and Micah was a prophet with Isaiah to the southern kingdom in Judah. 00:04:07.120 --> 00:04:18.319 In 722 BC, the northern kingdom was attacked by Assyria, the superpower, taken over, decimated, and they were brought into captivity. 00:04:18.480 --> 00:04:27.600 Micah watched all of this, and he is a calling the people of God in Judah back to himself. 00:04:27.759 --> 00:04:31.040 In fact, he lays out the book much like a lawyer does. 00:04:31.439 --> 00:04:36.800 He begins to outline his case against the people of Judah. 00:04:37.040 --> 00:04:45.439 And see, the problem was with the Israelites, with God's people, is they gave lip service to God. 00:04:46.560 --> 00:04:50.000 They would go to the temple and they would perform the sacrifice. 00:04:50.079 --> 00:04:55.920 They would go to the temple and give what they had to give, but they did not give life service to God. 00:04:56.160 --> 00:04:58.160 In fact, they lived for themselves. 00:04:58.319 --> 00:05:03.040 They lived very self-centered, selfish, greedy lives. 00:05:03.199 --> 00:05:16.319 And Micah's calling this out saying, your religion is worthless because look at how your life and how you're exploiting people for your own gain. 00:05:17.439 --> 00:05:26.639 And here in Micah chapter 6, verse 8, we get the most clear statement of what God desires for you and me. 00:05:27.199 --> 00:05:35.279 And he says, He has shown you, O man or O mortal, or all of humanity, what is good. 00:05:36.560 --> 00:05:39.439 And what does the Lord require of you? 00:05:40.560 --> 00:05:49.040 But to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. 00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:51.519 I think it's interesting, right? 00:05:51.680 --> 00:05:54.560 He says there, he's shown you, he's revealed it. 00:05:54.720 --> 00:05:56.560 It's to make known. 00:05:57.040 --> 00:05:58.560 Like it's not hidden. 00:05:58.639 --> 00:06:04.000 Some of us are like, okay, God's will, God's desire, I have to kind of seek it out, I have to figure it out. 00:06:04.160 --> 00:06:05.360 And he's like, no, no, no. 00:06:05.439 --> 00:06:08.240 I've shown you, I've revealed it to you. 00:06:08.319 --> 00:06:09.360 It's kind of like the parents. 00:06:09.439 --> 00:06:19.600 I've been here many, many times, where you're telling your kids something, and you tell them over and over, and then you go, I told you that, and they're like, I don't remember it. 00:06:19.920 --> 00:06:22.879 That's kind of how this is being played out here. 00:06:23.120 --> 00:06:29.600 He's shown you, he's revealed it, he's told you what is good of moral excellence. 00:06:30.079 --> 00:06:33.519 By the way, God gets to define what is good, not us. 00:06:35.279 --> 00:06:38.959 And what does God require of us? 00:06:40.160 --> 00:06:43.519 See, as we begin this conversation, we talk about it. 00:06:43.600 --> 00:06:48.639 I first have to begin with what I'm calling a convicting truth. 00:06:49.519 --> 00:07:00.240 And this is just a convicting truth that I think we need to just wrestle with right from the beginning, and it's simply this God's will for your life is clear. 00:07:01.680 --> 00:07:05.680 We tend to complicate it so we don't have to obey it. 00:07:06.879 --> 00:07:08.879 God's will for your life is clear. 00:07:09.040 --> 00:07:11.040 He's shown you what is good. 00:07:12.480 --> 00:07:15.839 In our we'll try that again. 00:07:16.079 --> 00:07:23.600 In our sophistication, we tend to complicate it. 00:07:28.160 --> 00:07:29.519 Sorry, this guy just fell off. 00:07:43.360 --> 00:07:47.680 You know, it's an interesting thing, isn't it? 00:07:48.399 --> 00:07:49.360 God's will. 00:07:49.920 --> 00:07:51.199 We wrestle with it. 00:07:52.319 --> 00:07:55.920 And we go, Ryan, God's will can't be that clear. 00:07:57.040 --> 00:08:04.879 See, ninety-nine percent of God's will for your life is actually revealed in his word to you. 00:08:05.839 --> 00:08:07.360 1% of it's not. 00:08:07.519 --> 00:08:09.680 That 1%, like who should I date? 00:08:09.839 --> 00:08:11.040 Who should I marry? 00:08:11.279 --> 00:08:13.920 That 1%, should I take this job? 00:08:14.079 --> 00:08:18.000 That 1%, um, you know, should we move here? 00:08:18.480 --> 00:08:28.160 Those are the unknowns, and we focus all of our energy, all of our time, all of our effort on that 1%, and he's going, no, no, I've shown you and I've revealed it to you. 00:08:28.319 --> 00:08:31.040 My will is clear for your life. 00:08:31.199 --> 00:08:40.480 And by the way, if you obey and do the 99%, that 1% will become clear, and he'll show you that too. 00:08:41.039 --> 00:08:50.320 And so, as we begin 2022, we're gonna spend the next three weeks talking about what does it look like to do justice? 00:08:50.559 --> 00:08:53.360 What does it look like next week to love mercy? 00:08:53.679 --> 00:08:55.919 And finally, what does it look like? 00:08:56.159 --> 00:09:00.639 What does it look like to walk humbly with your God? 00:09:01.039 --> 00:09:03.120 And so today, let's talk about do justice. 00:09:03.200 --> 00:09:05.279 Go ahead and say that with me so I know you're with me. 00:09:07.039 --> 00:09:08.399 Thank you, Mikhail, right there. 00:09:08.559 --> 00:09:09.519 I love it, buddy. 00:09:09.840 --> 00:09:11.279 Do justice. 00:09:11.440 --> 00:09:14.559 How do we become a people that does justice? 00:09:14.720 --> 00:09:17.759 How do we become a church that acts justly? 00:09:17.919 --> 00:09:24.080 Now, there's actually, I believe, two major problems in the evangelical church when we're talking about justice. 00:09:24.240 --> 00:09:28.159 Uh, the two problems is I'm calling them two uh different views. 00:09:28.240 --> 00:09:36.399 And the first view is this, and many, many Christians in the evangelical church fall into this view that justice is not my calling. 00:09:36.799 --> 00:09:38.879 Justice is not my thing. 00:09:39.360 --> 00:09:49.360 You may either go, like, oh, I'm so glad that it's someone's thing, I'm so glad it's your thing, you know, justice is God's thing, hello, you know, leave room for the vengeance of God, hello. 00:09:49.679 --> 00:09:54.879 But justice is not my thing, it's not my calling. 00:09:55.120 --> 00:10:04.240 In fact, I've heard this refrain lately, not actually at our church, so I'm so grateful for, but around, is like, you know, what is all this talk about justice? 00:10:04.399 --> 00:10:07.919 Let's just get back to Jesus and the gospel. 00:10:08.799 --> 00:10:10.799 And that sounds nice. 00:10:11.679 --> 00:10:14.399 But have you read the New Testament? 00:10:15.840 --> 00:10:18.320 Have you read the Gospels? 00:10:19.679 --> 00:10:29.840 And you can't get very far in the gospel before you see that Jesus is all about justice and restoring. 00:10:30.000 --> 00:10:36.960 The gospel is actually good news, and good news for those who are poor and mistreated and oppressed. 00:10:37.919 --> 00:10:39.120 First view. 00:10:39.440 --> 00:10:40.960 Justice is not my calling. 00:10:41.200 --> 00:10:51.600 Second view is of those that recognize the heir of the first, and so, in an attempt to embrace justice, have actually not done the full work. 00:10:51.919 --> 00:10:56.320 And it's really secular justice is my calling. 00:10:56.559 --> 00:10:57.600 Secular justice. 00:10:57.759 --> 00:11:05.360 In fact, I was uh hanging out with a friend on Friday and he was asking me, we were talking about the sermon, and he was asking me, like, Ryan, what does secular justice mean? 00:11:05.440 --> 00:11:08.000 Because we don't use that word uh very often. 00:11:08.240 --> 00:11:15.600 Secular really is disconnected from God or disconnected from spirituality, disconnected from uh religion in some sense. 00:11:15.840 --> 00:11:22.559 Secular justice is an approach to justice that introduces distortions into our practices. 00:11:22.879 --> 00:11:31.360 First, there is first distortion is that there is no transcendent moral absolutes on which to base justice. 00:11:31.679 --> 00:11:37.440 See, fundamentally, justice is simply this: an alignment to a standard of goodness. 00:11:37.600 --> 00:11:38.639 That's what justice is. 00:11:38.720 --> 00:11:40.879 It's aligning to a standard of goodness. 00:11:41.039 --> 00:11:46.960 And if there are no moral absolutes upon which we are aligning to, that standard of goodness is changing. 00:11:47.120 --> 00:11:48.720 And haven't we seen that in our culture? 00:11:48.879 --> 00:11:52.559 Ten years ago, what was just and right is no longer just and right today. 00:11:52.639 --> 00:11:59.200 And by the way, it will ever shift with the tide of culture and the populist opinion in the day. 00:11:59.360 --> 00:12:03.120 And so justice is an ever-moving target. 00:12:03.360 --> 00:12:17.600 Secondly, secular justice tends to be reductionistic, meaning that it's looking for a singular cause to explain all of the problems in our world, and it's far more complex than that. 00:12:17.759 --> 00:12:25.200 It's often secular justice is justice to the neglect of mercy and humility. 00:12:25.919 --> 00:12:30.559 You see, um, okay, I'm gonna offend you real quick. 00:12:30.639 --> 00:12:33.759 I'll just give you a heads up about this. 00:12:35.360 --> 00:12:38.240 Jesus doesn't fit into your political party. 00:12:42.000 --> 00:12:47.039 Do you know what some of the distinctive marks of the early followers of Jesus were? 00:12:48.480 --> 00:12:49.759 One let me give you four. 00:12:49.919 --> 00:12:54.000 One of them was racial justice, racial equality, this unity. 00:12:54.159 --> 00:12:59.200 This was incredibly transformational and unheard of. 00:12:59.360 --> 00:13:03.039 That there's neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male or female. 00:13:03.120 --> 00:13:04.480 This was unheard of. 00:13:04.720 --> 00:13:07.919 Second, was this care and concern for the poor. 00:13:08.480 --> 00:13:15.039 In a world all about status and power, there was no concern for the poor, only your own power. 00:13:16.720 --> 00:13:19.279 Thirdly, was the sanctity of life. 00:13:20.720 --> 00:13:40.320 You know, practice in the ancient day was a practice called exposure, in which if you had an unwanted child, maybe was born with a disability, maybe was of the wrong gender, much of the time, if you had a female child, would be exposed. 00:13:40.480 --> 00:13:43.759 And what it meant is you would take this child and you would expose it to the elements. 00:13:43.840 --> 00:13:50.559 You would leave the child you just birthed on the side, maybe in a trash heap, just to be exposed to the elements and died. 00:13:50.639 --> 00:14:01.759 And what the early followers of Jesus did is they would go around and collect these children who were abandoned, who are unwanted, and raise them as their own to their own cost. 00:14:03.759 --> 00:14:23.519 In the Roman world, it was a deeply sexualized culture, and even more so if you were an aristocrat, wealthy male Roman to have sex with anyone, anytime, anywhere, even though your spouse was supposed to be celibate. 00:14:23.679 --> 00:14:25.759 That's a whole nother sermon on another day. 00:14:25.919 --> 00:14:33.039 And the sexual ethic of the New Testament stood against all of that. 00:14:33.440 --> 00:14:37.840 Here's what's interesting: you take some of those and they sound profoundly liberal, don't they? 00:14:40.240 --> 00:14:44.399 And you take some of those and they sound profoundly conservative, don't they? 00:14:46.159 --> 00:14:46.720 Why? 00:14:47.919 --> 00:14:59.840 Because a follower of Jesus is not to allow their political party to be the defining reality of them, but Jesus' standard for how we are to go about life. 00:15:02.720 --> 00:15:08.799 So let's talk about what is biblical justice. 00:15:09.120 --> 00:15:13.919 What does it look like, and how do we go about living it out? 00:15:14.240 --> 00:15:19.279 I want you when you think about biblical justice to have two words in mind, two framing words. 00:15:19.440 --> 00:15:24.799 One, uh biblical justice as resistance, and biblical justice as restoration. 00:15:25.039 --> 00:15:39.279 There is some things as followers of Jesus we are to resist and put away push away and rid ourselves of and restore, proactively engage in the process of. 00:15:48.799 --> 00:15:49.759 Would you say that with me? 00:15:50.000 --> 00:15:50.720 Meshpat. 00:15:50.960 --> 00:15:52.879 Now you're a Hebrew scholar. 00:15:53.200 --> 00:16:00.480 This word actually carries this idea of true religion. 00:16:01.279 --> 00:16:07.120 Like your truest religious response is this. 00:16:07.679 --> 00:16:21.360 It is the proper personal response to God that manifests itself in social concern, equity, and the well-being of all God's creation, especially the poor, the powerless, and the voiceless. 00:16:21.600 --> 00:16:48.799 That in light of who God is, his greatness, his goodness, and his grace, my only response is then to respond in grace and justice for his creation, specifically those who are created in the Imago Day people that God loves, that are oppressed, that are poor, that are voiceless. 00:16:48.960 --> 00:16:54.879 The prophet Isaiah gives us a powerful definition of justice in Isaiah 1, 16 and 17. 00:16:55.039 --> 00:16:59.360 You'll see the resistance and the restoration at play here. 00:16:59.440 --> 00:17:01.519 He says, Wash and make yourself clean. 00:17:01.679 --> 00:17:03.919 Take your evil deeds out of my sight. 00:17:04.079 --> 00:17:06.079 Stop doing wrong. 00:17:06.240 --> 00:17:07.759 Learn to do right. 00:17:07.920 --> 00:17:11.279 If you're taking notes, circle all the verbs in there. 00:17:11.519 --> 00:17:12.960 That's resistance. 00:17:14.480 --> 00:17:16.160 There's a thing in us. 00:17:16.640 --> 00:17:18.240 We have to resist. 00:17:19.279 --> 00:17:23.759 Take your evil deeds out like the garbage and then restore. 00:17:24.559 --> 00:17:26.079 Defend the oppressed. 00:17:26.319 --> 00:17:28.559 Take up the cause of the fatherless. 00:17:28.880 --> 00:17:31.200 Plead the case of the widow. 00:17:31.680 --> 00:17:34.400 This is biblical justice. 00:17:34.720 --> 00:17:49.519 James, the brother of Jesus, picks up on this idea of true religion, and speaking to the entire Hebrew scriptures of summing up what true religion or justice is, writes in James chapter 1 this. 00:17:49.680 --> 00:17:56.000 He says, Those who consider themselves religious, and if you're still taking notes, circle the word religious through this. 00:17:56.160 --> 00:18:03.359 And yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongue, deceive themselves, and the religion is worthless. 00:18:04.319 --> 00:18:04.960 Ooh. 00:18:07.119 --> 00:18:10.720 That's a sermon all and of itself, right there, isn't it? 00:18:12.079 --> 00:18:18.559 And by the way, follower of Jesus, this verse alone should cause us to pause before we post. 00:18:20.160 --> 00:18:20.799 Right? 00:18:21.680 --> 00:18:22.400 Think about it. 00:18:22.480 --> 00:18:27.839 If you do not keep a tight rein on your tongue, James is saying, you're self-deceived. 00:18:29.359 --> 00:18:30.799 Speaking my truth. 00:18:30.960 --> 00:18:32.720 No, you're self-deceived. 00:18:33.920 --> 00:18:36.319 And your religion is worthless. 00:18:36.480 --> 00:18:38.880 But notice what he goes on to say. 00:18:39.359 --> 00:18:57.759 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless, true religion, it has this Hebrew understanding of Mishpat is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. 00:18:57.920 --> 00:19:03.759 We see resistance from the pollution of the world and restoration looking after orphans and widows. 00:19:03.920 --> 00:19:08.880 We are rightly concerned about the effects of pollution in our world, aren't we? 00:19:09.839 --> 00:19:18.000 And yet, we seem to be completely unconcerned of the effect of the world polluting our souls. 00:19:18.640 --> 00:19:26.240 And yet there is this pool and this draw that is polluting us and pulling us in. 00:19:27.359 --> 00:19:29.279 Resistance, restoration. 00:19:29.440 --> 00:19:33.119 The Proverbs speak significantly to justice. 00:19:33.279 --> 00:19:44.799 Summed up in Proverbs 29:7, the author says this the righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern. 00:19:46.079 --> 00:19:47.680 I don't know about you. 00:19:48.720 --> 00:20:00.480 But when we talk about righteous and wicked, and I'm reading that in the Hebrew scriptures and the Old Testament in Proverbs, I don't necessarily put myself in the righteous category. 00:20:00.640 --> 00:20:03.839 You know, I'm like, that's kind of like a big statement, right? 00:20:04.079 --> 00:20:04.480 Righteous. 00:20:05.119 --> 00:20:12.880 Now we all know this if you've been in, you know, church for a while, that our identity is received, not achieved. 00:20:12.960 --> 00:20:14.559 Like we are righteous in Christ. 00:20:14.720 --> 00:20:16.559 We have the imputed righteousness of Him. 00:20:16.720 --> 00:20:20.960 But there's sometimes that hard feeling of like, yeah, I'm the righteous, if I'm the righteous. 00:20:21.119 --> 00:20:22.720 But then at the same time, you know what? 00:20:22.799 --> 00:20:26.000 We don't really put, or I'm sorry. 00:20:26.160 --> 00:20:29.920 I don't necessarily say I'm in the wicked category either, right? 00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:33.599 That's reserved for like really bad people. 00:20:35.119 --> 00:20:38.160 I mean, like bad, bad, bad. 00:20:40.400 --> 00:20:43.119 Notice what it said about the righteous and the wicked. 00:20:43.440 --> 00:20:49.039 The righteous care about justice for the poor. 00:20:49.839 --> 00:20:51.039 The wicked. 00:20:52.079 --> 00:20:53.920 And it doesn't say this. 00:20:55.039 --> 00:20:56.720 Exploit the poor. 00:20:57.920 --> 00:20:59.599 Oppress the poor. 00:21:00.400 --> 00:21:01.759 What does it say? 00:21:02.799 --> 00:21:04.880 It just doesn't have a concern. 00:21:05.519 --> 00:21:06.160 Ooh. 00:21:07.279 --> 00:21:10.079 That's a different definition than I ever had. 00:21:10.799 --> 00:21:19.359 Bruce Walkie, Old Testament scholar, he he actually sums up the entire teaching in the book of Proverbs about the righteous. 00:21:19.519 --> 00:21:21.200 That word in Hebrew is the Sadiq. 00:21:21.680 --> 00:21:28.640 He says, the righteous are willing to disadvantage themselves to advantage the community. 00:21:28.880 --> 00:21:35.119 The wicked are willing to disadvantage the community to advantage themselves. 00:21:37.279 --> 00:21:45.359 And here's why this is so incredibly difficult in our day, in especially Western American culture. 00:21:46.000 --> 00:21:50.000 Our culture is hyper individualistic, right? 00:21:50.319 --> 00:21:53.279 Consumeristic and hedonistic. 00:21:54.000 --> 00:21:55.359 That's America. 00:21:56.240 --> 00:21:59.759 And so a hyper individualistic culture. 00:22:00.480 --> 00:22:04.720 Says this, my rights over my responsibility. 00:22:05.039 --> 00:22:20.079 And we're hearing everybody, this is my right to do this, but I'm not hearing my responsibility for the common man, my responsibility to the community, my responsibility to the other, to the least. 00:22:21.599 --> 00:22:29.759 In a consumeristic culture, it's about my wants over your needs. 00:22:31.200 --> 00:22:37.440 It's about me getting and not necessarily me giving. 00:22:37.839 --> 00:22:43.119 In a hedonistic, pleasure-oriented, it is the highest good. 00:22:44.160 --> 00:22:47.039 It's about my cravings over my calling. 00:22:49.359 --> 00:22:55.200 See, this is the culture, these this is when he says in James is saying, and do not be polluted by the world. 00:22:55.359 --> 00:23:06.480 These are the things that are like toxins to our soul that are keeping us from being the people God has designed us to be and created us to be. 00:23:06.720 --> 00:23:13.359 And so, how do we be, you know, the how are we called to disadvantage ourselves? 00:23:13.519 --> 00:23:15.279 Let me just give you four areas. 00:23:15.440 --> 00:23:17.599 The first is in the area that's personal. 00:23:17.920 --> 00:23:18.640 Personal. 00:23:19.279 --> 00:23:22.160 You notice Isaiah, wash and make yourself clean. 00:23:22.319 --> 00:23:26.079 James, keep a tight rein on your tongue, keep from being polluted. 00:23:26.400 --> 00:23:28.400 First, first, disadvantage. 00:23:28.720 --> 00:23:31.359 I need to root out evil in my life. 00:23:31.839 --> 00:23:34.480 I need to root out evil in my life. 00:23:34.640 --> 00:23:37.680 We're called to live lives of integrity. 00:23:38.000 --> 00:23:49.680 Where you'd say, God, if there's anything in me that's not of you, would you show me and I'll do the necessary thing and the necessary work to get that out of my life? 00:23:50.160 --> 00:23:53.200 I mean, Jesus would go to the extent, think about this, the way he would say it. 00:23:53.359 --> 00:23:56.880 He'd say, if your eye causes you sin, gouge it out. 00:23:57.119 --> 00:23:59.680 If your hand causes you sin, cut it off. 00:24:00.000 --> 00:24:02.720 And we rightly go, that's hyperbole. 00:24:02.799 --> 00:24:04.079 He's making a point. 00:24:04.720 --> 00:24:06.160 But what's the point? 00:24:07.599 --> 00:24:10.799 Because we dismiss it and say, well, we're not under that. 00:24:11.119 --> 00:24:16.640 Yeah, the point is do whatever it takes to root out sin and evil in your life. 00:24:16.799 --> 00:24:30.640 Personally, the other side of it, here's what's fascinating in the Hebrew law, it literally said, if you saw your enemy's donkey had wandered off, enemy's donkey, this is awesome. 00:24:30.720 --> 00:24:32.480 This is in the Bible, by the way. 00:24:33.440 --> 00:24:38.960 You are to return that donkey to your enemy. 00:24:40.160 --> 00:24:42.799 Not go, that's awesome. 00:24:44.720 --> 00:24:46.240 They deserve that. 00:24:46.880 --> 00:24:48.799 In fact, it goes even further than that. 00:24:48.880 --> 00:24:59.359 If you see your enemy and your donkey and their donkey is loaded up to the point that it's collapsed, you don't go, shouldn't have put so much on it. 00:25:00.480 --> 00:25:07.519 Your call by the law of God is to go and serve them and help them and restore the donkey. 00:25:08.079 --> 00:25:09.920 Jesus would say it this way, right? 00:25:11.279 --> 00:25:12.640 Love your enemies. 00:25:14.400 --> 00:25:16.000 Love your enemies. 00:25:16.559 --> 00:25:19.119 And pray for those who persecute you personally. 00:25:19.200 --> 00:25:20.079 What does this look like? 00:25:20.240 --> 00:25:21.359 Root out evil. 00:25:21.680 --> 00:25:23.279 Love our enemies. 00:25:23.519 --> 00:25:27.200 Secondly, social or communal. 00:25:28.240 --> 00:25:31.359 A responsibility to the community. 00:25:31.680 --> 00:25:33.200 You know, it's interesting. 00:25:33.279 --> 00:25:40.640 Uh in Deuteronomy, it's actually Deuteronomy 24, 17 through 22, there's actually what's called gleaning laws. 00:25:40.960 --> 00:25:45.599 It's when if you were a property owner, if you're a landowner, uh God commanded you. 00:25:45.680 --> 00:25:50.640 It's like you have this property, and there's these laws about how you're to harvest. 00:25:50.960 --> 00:26:04.319 And so what you were to do was as you are harvesting your crop, you're actually supposed to leave the fringes, the edges, the corners for the poor and the foreigner to come and uh harvest themselves. 00:26:04.640 --> 00:26:13.920 And the picture is this that you're not to maximize your profit for yourself, but you're supposed to leave some over for those in need. 00:26:14.319 --> 00:26:16.160 It's not, it wasn't this charity. 00:26:16.319 --> 00:26:20.559 It was, hey, we have this and you can come harvest it yourself. 00:26:21.200 --> 00:26:26.400 And it was this sense of how we are to communally take care of one another. 00:26:26.480 --> 00:26:30.960 It wasn't that your property was to be taken from you and given, it was this voluntary act. 00:26:31.119 --> 00:26:31.359 Why? 00:26:31.599 --> 00:26:41.359 Because this is yours, but you recognize that all that you have is God's and you are simply loving his creation and his people. 00:26:41.759 --> 00:26:47.599 It's interesting the whole early church took this on in Acts 2, 45. 00:26:47.680 --> 00:26:53.519 It says, they sold property and possessions to give anyone who was in need. 00:26:54.400 --> 00:26:55.839 This is our heritage. 00:26:57.440 --> 00:27:04.160 This is what it means to be a just follower of Jesus. 00:27:04.480 --> 00:27:07.440 Proximity to the poor changes our heart. 00:27:09.039 --> 00:27:13.920 That's why our homeless outreach team and ministry and what they're doing is so incredible. 00:27:14.000 --> 00:27:23.759 And if you've been a part of the food pantries that happen every Thursday, it begins to shape and change you, and you can't live the same way. 00:27:24.160 --> 00:27:26.559 Personal, social, judicial. 00:27:26.960 --> 00:27:31.519 Judicial means everyone must be treated equally and with dignity. 00:27:31.839 --> 00:27:32.480 Why? 00:27:33.519 --> 00:27:42.960 Because every single person is created in the image of God, meaning you have intrinsic, infinite value and worth. 00:27:43.599 --> 00:27:49.039 You have never met an ordinary person in your life. 00:27:54.400 --> 00:27:57.680 In fact, Leviticus 24 was laws for the foreigner. 00:27:57.839 --> 00:28:05.599 You know, most countries, in fact, every nation, they had laws for their people, and they didn't treat other people the same. 00:28:05.680 --> 00:28:12.640 And God set it up and said, laws for the foreigner, you must treat them exactly the same way. 00:28:14.079 --> 00:28:16.319 You must have the same laws. 00:28:17.839 --> 00:28:28.640 Any system of justice that favors the wealthy, the powerful, and disadvantages the poor is an abomination to God. 00:28:30.400 --> 00:28:38.559 And systems of injustice perpetuate far more evil than any single person. 00:28:39.279 --> 00:28:40.960 And we got to wrestle with that. 00:28:41.039 --> 00:28:51.680 And we have to take a fresh look at that because there are systems of injustice and worldwide historically, not just America, but yes, America. 00:28:51.920 --> 00:28:58.319 If you are wealthy, you get out of things. 00:28:58.559 --> 00:29:01.039 Don't serve the same amount of time. 00:29:02.799 --> 00:29:10.000 And if you aren't wealthy, you get longer sentences, poorer representation. 00:29:10.480 --> 00:29:11.680 We gotta wrestle with this. 00:29:11.759 --> 00:29:12.480 Let me see where I'm at. 00:29:12.559 --> 00:29:13.279 Okay, I can do this. 00:29:13.359 --> 00:29:20.559 Uh we gotta wrestle with this, even in understanding the systematic nature of our country and the brokenness to be able to grow. 00:29:20.799 --> 00:29:25.920 And we don't understand how so much of it's rooted uh even in our language. 00:29:26.079 --> 00:29:27.119 So I'll just give you this. 00:29:27.200 --> 00:29:29.680 I wasn't able to do this on the first service. 00:29:30.000 --> 00:29:33.680 Uh you know that word uh grandfathered in? 00:29:34.640 --> 00:29:36.799 Yeah, you know where that comes from? 00:29:37.599 --> 00:29:40.799 I didn't until like uh about a year or two ago. 00:29:40.880 --> 00:29:48.079 I can't remember where I stumbled upon this, but I I said, I'm I'm gonna strike this from my language. 00:29:48.240 --> 00:29:49.759 I didn't realize this was the origin of it. 00:29:49.839 --> 00:29:50.400 I used to use it all. 00:29:50.559 --> 00:29:52.720 I'm like, hey, we're grandfathered in here, that's awesome. 00:29:52.799 --> 00:29:57.599 And it's this idea that you know there's a special treatment because of you've been here so long. 00:29:57.920 --> 00:30:00.240 This came about in the Civil War area. 00:30:00.400 --> 00:30:18.960 Uh the actual date was during uh the 1870, the 15th Amendment prohibiting racial discrimination, specifically of voting in the South, said, okay, we're not allowed to discriminate based on your race anymore, so how do we make sure we can discriminate? 00:30:20.720 --> 00:30:24.799 Enacted two different things, a poll tax and a literary test. 00:30:25.519 --> 00:30:32.319 Well, now all of a sudden, instead of discriminating on race, they're discriminating on education and affluence. 00:30:32.799 --> 00:30:46.559 And in the South, there's a lot of illiterate, uh poor white people who used to be able to vote, and if this law went into effect, would no longer be able to vote. 00:30:47.359 --> 00:30:49.920 And so they came up with the grandfather clause. 00:30:51.119 --> 00:31:02.720 If your grandfather could vote, then even though you are poor, you can't pay the poll tax, illiterate, you still can vote. 00:31:04.079 --> 00:31:11.279 I mean, there's things, friends, I just gotta tell you, there's things in our language, things in our water stuff that we just gotta do the work. 00:31:12.559 --> 00:31:24.079 We gotta do the work that you you have no idea the origin of it and the history and how evil it is as a system of injustice. 00:31:24.240 --> 00:31:35.599 And finally, financial speaks the Old Testament speaks to unfair wages, delayed wages, exorbitant interest. 00:31:35.839 --> 00:31:41.440 James would pick up on the theme in James chapter 5 and talk about hoarding wealth. 00:31:42.720 --> 00:31:48.559 And we know about hoarding because we all live through the great toilet paper crisis of 2020. 00:31:51.200 --> 00:31:58.160 And it's I gotta get mine, and it's the scarcity mentality, and I don't have any to give or to share. 00:31:58.480 --> 00:32:08.240 Friends, if created it all, and if he gave his life for you, how will he not, along with him, graciously give you all things? 00:32:08.319 --> 00:32:11.279 There should be no hoarding Christian. 00:32:12.240 --> 00:32:15.279 That was a great place for an amen, more than snaps. 00:32:18.799 --> 00:32:20.720 And yet we pull back. 00:32:21.680 --> 00:32:22.079 Why? 00:32:22.240 --> 00:32:30.319 Because we live in a hyper-individualistic, consumeristic, hedonistic culture, and we have just bought the lie. 00:32:31.279 --> 00:32:32.880 All right, Ryan, thank you very much. 00:32:33.039 --> 00:32:33.839 Happy New Year. 00:32:33.920 --> 00:32:34.960 What do we do with this? 00:32:35.119 --> 00:32:36.559 How do we respond? 00:32:36.799 --> 00:32:38.960 Let me give you just three responses. 00:32:39.200 --> 00:32:42.880 First, we gotta resist a quick fixed mindset. 00:32:43.200 --> 00:32:44.640 Jeremiah talks about this. 00:32:44.799 --> 00:32:52.880 He says, They dress the wounds of my people as though it were not serious, peace and say peace, peace, when there is no peace. 00:32:53.680 --> 00:32:58.079 I mean, that's this is where the phrase uh bandaid on a bullet wound, I think, originated from. 00:32:58.559 --> 00:33:03.519 And this is what we do in this area because it's uncomfortable and it's hard work. 00:33:04.319 --> 00:33:08.000 Is we want just a quick fix, especially the American church. 00:33:08.079 --> 00:33:12.319 Oh, let me say it, the white American church. 00:33:14.319 --> 00:33:17.680 We gotta resist quick fixes. 00:33:18.000 --> 00:33:27.599 Uh over the holidays, I popped into the office, and there were a couple chairs that needed to be built for a little uh kitchenette uh table. 00:33:27.759 --> 00:33:31.920 And so I had my two boys with me uh to help build it. 00:33:32.000 --> 00:33:36.079 Uh it's interesting, as I was talking to my boys asking them if I can share the story. 00:33:36.160 --> 00:33:39.200 Uh I was like, no, keep your names anonymous. 00:33:39.279 --> 00:33:43.599 And the one who's kind of the hero of the story is like, no, Dad, tell the names. 00:33:44.000 --> 00:33:44.880 Tell the names. 00:33:44.960 --> 00:33:46.160 I want credit. 00:33:47.519 --> 00:33:50.720 And so there once were two boys. 00:33:51.119 --> 00:33:52.319 It's a parable. 00:33:53.680 --> 00:33:55.440 Open up the boxes. 00:33:56.400 --> 00:34:08.719 And one boy opens up the directions and very focused, following step by step, the other boy, like a man, just threw the directions away. 00:34:08.960 --> 00:34:11.039 And he begins to build it on his own. 00:34:11.119 --> 00:34:20.239 And in fact, it looked like he was doing, like he was gonna finish earlier because his looked like a chair, where the other just looked like a pile and a mess in the corner. 00:34:20.480 --> 00:34:25.920 And yet, what was interesting is the one who did the directions actually finished sooner. 00:34:26.000 --> 00:34:34.000 And when the one who didn't do the directions, I come to see his chair, um, it was together. 00:34:34.239 --> 00:34:41.039 It looked right, you could sit on it, but what was interesting was there's all these washers. 00:34:42.880 --> 00:34:44.639 Like literally all of them. 00:34:46.000 --> 00:34:51.199 Like, not one washer was you it the washing package, that's not even how you say it. 00:34:51.360 --> 00:34:53.840 The washer package was not opened. 00:34:54.880 --> 00:34:56.880 These aren't the washers, this is way too big. 00:34:56.960 --> 00:34:58.400 I just wanted you to be able to see it. 00:34:59.519 --> 00:35:02.079 And he said, Dad, what's the big deal? 00:35:02.559 --> 00:35:03.679 It works. 00:35:05.360 --> 00:35:08.159 I said, Yeah, son, it does for today. 00:35:09.599 --> 00:35:15.519 And anybody who's built things, and if you don't do it correctly, you know what the washer's for. 00:35:15.679 --> 00:35:19.599 What the washer's for is to spread out the distribution of pressure. 00:35:19.840 --> 00:35:35.519 The washer's for these little angles as it's put into the wood, as you kind of get pressure on it, this digs in and begins to pull away, and eventually, maybe weeks or a month goes by, it has developed grooves into the wood, and the chair will fall apart. 00:35:35.679 --> 00:35:39.280 And so you put a washer into it to hold it into place. 00:35:39.440 --> 00:35:46.000 In fact, there's another washer there called a lock washer that helps hold it against the vibrations of it. 00:35:46.159 --> 00:36:02.960 And friends, I would say in our attempt of talking about this, we've put together some things, but often miss the washers and the hard work because it takes time, and we have to go back to the direction manual of God's word to say, God, what have you called us to do? 00:36:03.119 --> 00:36:04.639 Who have you called us to be? 00:36:04.800 --> 00:36:06.880 What does justice look like? 00:36:07.360 --> 00:36:10.000 And we're gonna resist quick fixes. 00:36:11.920 --> 00:36:14.239 It's gonna take a little bit longer. 00:36:14.719 --> 00:36:17.440 It's gonna look messy in the beginning. 00:36:18.880 --> 00:36:24.239 But man, we're gonna build what God said he called us to build. 00:36:24.639 --> 00:36:25.599 Seconds. 00:36:27.440 --> 00:36:28.880 Respond with confession. 00:36:29.119 --> 00:36:32.719 Resist quick confession, respond with confession. 00:36:33.039 --> 00:36:38.159 Micah said, wash yourself, take out your evil deeds. 00:36:40.320 --> 00:36:46.159 It's been said that confession is good for the soul, but bad for the reputation. 00:36:47.679 --> 00:37:02.400 The church today needs to do more looking internally and confessing rather than looking externally and criticizing and condemning and correcting. 00:37:03.760 --> 00:37:09.199 And I really believe as the leader goes, so goes the church. 00:37:09.440 --> 00:37:18.000 And I was on a run this last week, a very painful memory came to mind, and I've wrestled deeply of even whether I should share it. 00:37:18.320 --> 00:37:20.000 I grew up in Santa Cruz. 00:37:20.159 --> 00:37:31.840 Santa Cruz is super diverse in thought, not very diverse in ethnicity, it's mainly white and Hispanic, but but it's this very diverse, you know, celebrating the diversity of thought. 00:37:32.239 --> 00:37:33.679 Lived in Chicago. 00:37:34.000 --> 00:37:40.159 Uh my two backgrounds, music and sports, super diverse. 00:37:41.280 --> 00:37:45.679 So when I think about having prejudice in my heart, I don't actually think it's there. 00:37:45.840 --> 00:37:48.000 I just didn't like, like, there's nothing there. 00:37:48.239 --> 00:37:53.039 Like prejudice simply means to pre-judge someone. 00:37:53.679 --> 00:38:02.079 In my 20s, this memory, it's just like how the Holy Spirit, like when you're teaching on stuff, he just brings stuff to mind, and it was just like, oh God. 00:38:03.440 --> 00:38:06.000 I was driving into Orchard Supply. 00:38:06.079 --> 00:38:07.280 Remember when that was a thing? 00:38:07.360 --> 00:38:07.679 Yeah. 00:38:09.039 --> 00:38:10.559 In my 20s, I was in a hurry. 00:38:10.639 --> 00:38:11.760 I was always in a hurry. 00:38:11.920 --> 00:38:19.280 Rushing in, pulling through the parking lot way too fast, and a car backs out and we hit one another. 00:38:19.679 --> 00:38:23.360 I'm in a hurry, I'm frustrated, I'm angry. 00:38:23.679 --> 00:38:32.960 I get out of my car and I'm ashamed to say my first words were because of the how the car looked. 00:38:33.920 --> 00:38:35.519 Different ethnicity. 00:38:37.119 --> 00:38:39.199 So, do you have insurance? 00:38:41.440 --> 00:38:43.920 And it wasn't that kind of like, do you have insurance? 00:38:44.000 --> 00:38:51.360 Like, this is just we're talking about, you know, you it was a an evilness in my heart. 00:38:53.119 --> 00:39:00.480 And we can explain it away of like, hey, um you're having a bad day, or hey, you're in a rush. 00:39:00.719 --> 00:39:04.800 Jesus said, out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. 00:39:05.679 --> 00:39:08.639 There's something in my heart that I needed to root out. 00:39:08.800 --> 00:39:12.639 And the minute those words came out of my mouth, I was shh filled with shame. 00:39:12.880 --> 00:39:14.719 And apologized to the person. 00:39:17.920 --> 00:39:20.480 See, we gotta respond with confession. 00:39:23.840 --> 00:39:24.880 We gotta respond. 00:39:25.039 --> 00:39:32.400 It begins with an awareness of what's wrong, agreeing with God about our current reality and addressing the issue. 00:39:32.639 --> 00:39:34.880 That's what confession is. 00:39:35.760 --> 00:39:40.000 And then finally, let's take a step this week to do justice. 00:39:40.159 --> 00:39:43.679 Let's take a step to do justice as a church. 00:39:43.920 --> 00:39:48.000 One writer said this to act justly is most important. 00:39:48.639 --> 00:39:54.800 For it does not mean to talk about justice or to get other people to act justly. 00:39:55.199 --> 00:40:00.159 It means to do the just thing yourself. 00:40:01.920 --> 00:40:03.360 What's your step? 00:40:05.440 --> 00:40:06.719 Of justice. 00:40:07.679 --> 00:40:12.960 When Jesus returns, there'll be ultimate of justice. 00:40:13.440 --> 00:40:14.400 Until then. 00:40:15.840 --> 00:40:16.960 It's just us. 00:40:17.679 --> 00:40:18.400 He's shown you. 00:40:18.960 --> 00:40:20.639 He's shown me what's good. 00:40:21.199 --> 00:40:21.760 What is good. 00:40:22.079 --> 00:40:23.199 The Lord require. 00:40:24.320 --> 00:40:25.840 But to act justly. 00:40:26.320 --> 00:40:27.440 To love mercy. 00:40:28.400 --> 00:40:31.280 To walk humbly for God. 00:40:32.719 --> 00:40:36.719 God's will for your life and my life in 2022 is clear. 00:40:41.519 --> 00:40:43.119 I tend to complicate it. 00:40:44.000 --> 00:40:45.440 So I don't have to obey it. 00:40:49.519 --> 00:40:57.440 In 2020, literally January of 2020, I started a book called Your Best Year Ever. 00:40:59.360 --> 00:41:00.000 Wow. 00:41:02.800 --> 00:41:05.119 I'm like, this book stinks. 00:41:10.079 --> 00:41:15.440 You know, I think 2020 was a year we needed as a church. 00:41:15.599 --> 00:41:18.079 A friend of mine called it the Great Reveal. 00:41:19.280 --> 00:41:21.679 It revealed we're not in control, right? 00:41:24.559 --> 00:41:27.519 It revealed racial inequity. 00:41:28.239 --> 00:41:30.719 It revealed political tribalism. 00:41:33.599 --> 00:41:36.079 It revealed that life's fragile. 00:41:39.599 --> 00:41:44.400 I actually believe 2022 can be your best year ever. 00:41:46.480 --> 00:41:51.519 I believe 2022 can be awakening's best year ever. 00:41:51.840 --> 00:41:53.920 Now note, not easiest year. 00:41:54.320 --> 00:41:56.079 Best and easiest are different. 00:41:58.400 --> 00:41:59.840 But it's up to us. 00:42:02.960 --> 00:42:04.480 Will we do justice? 00:42:04.719 --> 00:42:06.800 Will we love mercy? 00:42:07.039 --> 00:42:10.320 Will we walk humbly with our God? 00:42:10.880 --> 00:42:13.360 God, would you make us that kind of church? 00:42:13.679 --> 00:42:14.960 That kind of people. 00:42:16.960 --> 00:42:26.159 People that don't merely hear your word and do nothing about it, but actively respond and obey. 00:42:26.559 --> 00:42:39.119 And so right now, Heavenly Father, would you give us the wisdom to know what to do with what we just heard and the courage to do it no matter how hard it is. 00:42:39.360 --> 00:42:42.159 In Jesus' name, Amen. 00:42:43.920 --> 00:42:46.159 We hope you are blessed by this message. 00:42:46.320 --> 00:42:50.800 Please subscribe to our podcast for access to every episode as they're uploaded. 00:42:50.960 --> 00:42:53.039 And hey, we'd love to connect with you. 00:42:53.199 --> 00:42:58.960 Take a next step by filling out our virtual connection card at awakeningchurch.com slash card.