God is Just

All right, well, tonight, if I could give you a special indulgence for being at church on Sunday night during Mother's Day, I would, but since I don't believe in indulgences,

I cannot, and therefore I will not. Tonight we want to talk about the justice of God, J, the attributes of God, through the alphabet, the justice of God.

I mean, if I were going to talk about the love of God, it would probably be packed. We all like to hear about the love of God, but the justice of God, that seems rarer.

I did notice in my study the last couple of weeks that our society is not alien to the concept of justice.

It understands justice. It wants justice, matter of fact. Our society is very familiar with judges, courtrooms, jury duties, lawsuits, wanting the right thing.

Our society promotes justice, so much so that we have a bunch of popular

TV shows all with judges. Michael Horton lists them, Judge Judy, Judge Mathis, that's not

Johnny, Judge Mills Lane, Judge Joe Brown, Judge Hackett.

Michael Horton says, quote, even the venerable Judge Wapner came out of retirement, again,

Horton says, no longer to host the people's court, but to preside over animal court. A wanting justice everywhere we go.

And I was very, very surprised to see the extent of justice in a particular building in our country.

If you could think of one building in our country that would have symbols of justice everywhere, what particular building might that be?

Supreme Court. Quote, what particular symbol do you think is on the

Supreme Court in many locations? What symbol signifies justice?

The scales of justice, the scales of justice. And they symbolize impartial deliberation as you weigh these two things in a legal dispute.

In the Supreme Court in Washington, D .C., each and every one of these places have the scales of justice.

In the courtroom, in the South Freeze, in the

West Freeze, on the Youth Shield in the East Freeze, in the

West Pediment Library, on the front plaza, behind the plaza steps, a small figure on the flagpole has them, a design on the bronze elevator door frames as part of the repeating relief on the building's exterior, as one of the metopes,

I don't know what that is, M -E -T -O -P -E -S, in the Great Hall, as a decorative motif on the ceiling of the

Special Library, all in the Supreme Court building. Isn't that amazing? Everywhere you go, the scales of justice.

Our society recognizes justice, promotes justice, seems to want justice, but I'm not sure our society is ready or willing or even able to accept a holy, absolute, just God.

Do you want such a God who is not just holy, but just? So far in our series, we've been through I, A is for all -knowing,

B is beautiful, C was creator, D was decree, E was eternal, F is faithful,

G is grace, H is holy, I is incomprehensible, and tonight, J, God is just, the justice of God.

I believe the justice of God is a lost doctrine today, and in a very real way,

I understand that because when I study the justice of God, I have to tell you, I don't get the warm fuzzies.

I don't just say, like, I look at a baby, oh, maybe I should, maybe I should praise

God for justice. Matter of fact, I should praise God for his justice. In my opinion,

God's holy justice is on trial today in the court of public opinion, and it's been that way for a long time, and I actually think our society is schizophrenic when it comes to justice.

They want justice. If something is done to them in a wrong way, they want, in the law courts, justice to be done.

Some kind of gross injustice done to your property or to a loved one, people are moved to outrage, but I don't think these same people who want justice done when it comes to their family and physical property or for their reputation actually would want

God's holy, immutable, perfect, absolute justice.

I think unbelievers recoil at the justice of God. Now, what we're going to need tonight is our

Bible, so why don't you turn your Bibles to 1 Samuel chapter 15, and I want to give you an example of how people take a look at the

Bible and they'll immediately put God on trial and say, how could a God be like this?

How could your God? Do you mean you worship this particular God? So much so that they create a

God of the Old Testament that is different than the God of the New Testament. Sadly, they're ignorant of divine revelation.

Sadly, they're ignorant of God's holy hatred of sin, and sadly, they're ignorant of the justice of God.

They think all justice should be delayed. They think all justice should be overlooked when it comes to sin against God.

You'll hear people complain against God and somehow say, God couldn't be a loving

God. I cannot worship this God because, for instance, 1 Samuel 15 verse 2, thus says the

Lord of hosts, I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt.

Verse 3, now go and attack Amalek and utterly destroy all that they have and do not spare them.

And this is the sentence they have problems with, but kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel.

If we don't understand just how holy God is, just how just God is, we've got a big problem and we can't just say we're going to try to understand

God based on surveys. I remember back in the day when Family Feud was big, remember

Family Feud? Actually, Kim and I and my brother and his wife and my sister, we tried out, I think

I told you the story, we tried out for Family Feud. And I had to be the stupid -like leader. How I got in that position,

I have no idea, but I was the one that had to kind of act excited because in Hollywood, they want people to act really, you know, flamboyant and overboard and things that I, of course, never like.

I never liked that. I'm not that kind of guy. It just seemed so weird, you know, and I thought,

I don't want to kiss Richard Dawson or something in order to try to... But remember when

Family Feud was on, maybe it's still on, and they determined the responses by what?

Survey says. That's not how we come up with who God is.

Take a survey. What do we like? What we don't like? Let's just cut off the rough edges of God because if we did certainly justice, immutable justice, holy justice would be cut out.

The God of unchanging justice cramps the style of a free society.

It's an impingement. How can you live underneath this just God when you like to sin?

It cramps people's hedonistic lifestyle. After all, Nietzsche said, we immoralists are trying with all our strength to take the concept of guilt and the concept of punishment out of the world again.

So here's what I'd like to do tonight. I'd like to give you some definitions of justice. I'd like to trace some of God's justice early on in the

Bible, and then look at a passage that will give us the justice of God, but thankfully, mercy and grace as well.

Justice, a definition. Matter of fact, we have a small group tonight, so I might as well ask you, who could give me a definition of the justice of God?

If you had to describe God's justice to someone, you would say God's justice is, it's harder than you think.

Wait a second, you can't look at the bulletin today. I don't know who's in charge of the bulletin, but they put that thing in there.

Yes. Oh my God, I know it was. Day late and a dollar short.

No, that was very good that you put that in there because you were thinking about something that would help encourage the people to understand this very important topic, and I commend you for that.

Peter's clapping. By the way, while I'm commending people, it is very, very difficult in life, let alone in Christian life, to be a single mother, function as a single mother, and I've been very proud of Becky and her faithfulness to serve and not just sit around all the time and think the world should revolve around her, but she just as soon served in the local church, and so I commend you for that as well.

Anybody? Justice of God? Go ahead. Wes? You were looking at me like you knew.

See, once you open it up to congregational questions, you get all kinds of peanut gallery conversations. That's why on Sunday morning, it is pretty much non -dialogical on Sunday morning, if I could throw a big word out.

Okay, I think that has a component of justice.

Good. Anybody else? Can you think of a good definition of justice, because I think it is that, Wes, but I think it's more than that.

Yes. Okay. Adhering to an absolute moral standard.

Good. Luke, did you have something? What's God's justice? Can't talk with your mouth like that, though.

We're not here to do that. Giving somebody what they deserve. Good. Can you think of a synonym in the

Bible for justice? Did you know the word justice in the

Old Testament, the word for justice in the Old Testament is also translated another way, and did you know the

New Testament word for justice is also translated another way, and the first Old Testament other way is equal to the same

English word for the other way in the New Testament. You say, what are you talking about? Well, here's what I'm talking about.

When you see the word for justice in the Old Testament, it is also translated righteousness.

Justice and righteousness are English translations of the same Hebrew word.

So too in the New Testament, there's one word for justice, and that same word is also translated righteousness, and so the best definition

I have found is this. God's righteousness means that God always acts in accordance with what is right.

God always acts in accordance with what is right, and is himself the final standard of what is right.

God always acts in accordance with what is right, and is himself the final standard of what is right.

Tozer said, justice when used of God as a name we give to the way God is, nothing more. And when

God acts justly, he is not doing so to conform to an independent criterion, but simply acting like himself in a given situation.

God is his own self -existent principle of moral equity, and when he sentences evil man or rewards the righteous, he simply acts like himself from within, uninfluenced by anything that is not himself.

And God is so just that it is an absolute justice, and he has the power or omnipotence to carry out all his justice.

The Net Bible says of God's justice, let me give you another definition, that perfection of his nature whereby he is infinitely righteous in himself, and in all he does.

Good definition. Let's turn our Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 32 verse 4, and I want to show you a wonderful verse, maybe my favorite verse in all the

Bible, that talks about God's justice, and how he is right, and he is upright, and his ways are upright.

If God is by nature just, then the way he acts is just, his laws are just, his sentencing is just, everything about him is just.

So Deuteronomy 32 verse 4 is just one of those great verses you might want to memorize sometime, or study a little bit more.

Verse 4 of chapter 32, the rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are what?

Just. A God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and upright is he.

Abraham understood this very well when he appealed to God's justice and righteousness, and he said, far be it from you to do such a thing to slay the righteous and the wicked.

Far be it from you, shall the judge of the earth deal justly or do right?

Genesis 18, 25. It's not even a real question for Abraham, it was a rhetorical question because Abraham knew that the

God of the universe always judged rightly. He dealt with people justly.

Unbeliever Mencken said, injustice is relatively easy to bear, what stings is justice.

And God's justice is an absolute justice, giving people exactly what they deserve, only what they deserve, to the full measure of what they deserve.

Not obligated to court or public opinion, not obligated to other people, not obligated to some other so -called

God, but he is obligated to his own nature. He conforms himself only to himself.

Fred Zaspel says, that rightness to which he is obligated is nothing other than his own nature and will.

And sadly, in our society, people use the word judgmental with justice and they say, well, you know,

God isn't just, he's judgmental with some kind of pejorative, negative attitude.

God is just kind of inclined by whim or by some kind of whimsical will, a choice to just be judging.

No, God's justice is perfect and holy because God is perfect and holy.

Let's turn to Psalm 19, we're just creating this idea of justice for a while and equity and how

God is good and God is fair. Since God is just, then his words must be just.

Psalm 19, verse 8, and again, just putting this together in a nice systematic way.

Since God is just, it goes without saying that his word is just. Similar to an unbeliever, if out of the heart, the mouth speaks, out of God's nature, so he speaks with the same nature, according to his good and moral nature, so then his words are just because he's just.

Psalm 19, verse 8, the precepts of the Lord are what? Right, are just.

Rejoicing the heart, the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the

Lord is clean, verse 9, enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are true, they are righteous, they are just all together.

Listen, as I read Isaiah 45, 19, regarding God's word as just. I have not spoken in secret in some dark land.

I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, seek me in a waste place. Rather, I, the

Lord, speak righteousness or justice, declaring the things that are upright. God is just by nature, therefore, we say with Isaiah's questioning, who taught him in the path of justice?

No one did because he is by nature just. All right, next question, congregation,

I'm going to try to keep your mind involved. How early did God's justice show up in the

Bible? How far do we need to get into the

Bible before we start seeing the justice of God? Luke, Adam, and Eve, well, let's find out.

Let's turn to Genesis chapter 3. I don't know if that's the right answer or not, but let's find out.

Genesis chapter 3, let's take a look at how early justice shows up.

And I think for some who think that God cannot delay his justice, for some who think that God must deliver instantaneous justice, we'll see that that's not the case.

And by the way, we'll be very, very glad, won't we, that God didn't judge us instantly and righteously and justly the second we sinned?

God is just, but sometimes his justice is delayed. And we'll see that delay here in Genesis chapter 3, verse 2.

Diving into the passage, the woman said to the serpent, Genesis 3, 2, from the fruit of the trees of the garden, we may eat.

But from the fruit of the tree, which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, you shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.

The serpent said to the woman, can you imagine? This is exactly how Satan does things.

Satan is by nature a liar, and so what does Satan say to the woman? He didn't say to the man, he said it to the woman, you surely will not die.

Why? Because God's holding out on you, going to revolt.

For God knows, verse 5, that in the day you eat from it, your eyes will be open and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.

And what he means by that is God wouldn't want that. God doesn't want you to experience that. Sirhan, Sirhan, shortly after he shot

Robert Kennedy, kind of summarized to me the audacity of sin that I could see in the garden are in the assassination of Robert Kennedy.

They can gas me, but I'm famous. I have achieved more in one day than it took

Robert Kennedy all his life to do. That's why R .C. Sproul calls sin cosmic treason.

Now, my question is this, we know Eve sinned, we know Adam sinned, and were they judged by God?

How quickly did God exercise his justice? Did they die that second?

Well, you say, oh, it's spiritual death separated from God. That may be true, and I think it is true. But did

God keep his word? When you eat this, you're going to die. You can't do that. Sin is going to bring death.

How soon did God judge after Genesis chapter 3? When did people die, physically at least, for the sake of discussion tonight?

God was very delayed in his judgment. Let's turn to Genesis chapter 5, just so we don't think, though, that somehow

God doesn't keep his promises, that God didn't act in accordance with what is right, that somehow

God isn't just, somehow that God doesn't give people strict...and

treat them in strict accordance with what they deserve. Here is Genesis chapter 5, and I call

Genesis chapter 5, lots of times I don't make things up, I just take what other commentaries say and just kind of abendrothize them, but this one's somewhat original,

I guess. Can there be an original thought, by the way? I doubt it, but I just call this the cemetery.

I just call this the graveyard. Genesis chapter 5, and you think, this is the most boring chapter in all the

Bible. The begats and who lived to be how long, all these kind of things.

This is like taking a stroll through the cemetery. It's like driving up to the cemetery and just taking a walk through.

When you're going to see the punctuation in verse 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 27, and 31, all with a punctuation mark to let us know

God is just, and he will keep his promise, and he does act in accordance with what is right, and always right, because God is, by nature, just and right.

We won't read everyone, but let's read a few. By the way, so far in the world, there are no cemeteries.

There are no burial grounds. There are no mosques, not mosques, there are no mausoleums.

There are no tombs. There are no crypts. There are no vaults. There are no burial places.

There are no burial chambers. There are no sepulchers. There's nothing. Why? Because there's been no death.

But here comes the answer to Satan's lie, you shall not surely die.

Verse 1, this is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day when God created Adam, he made him in the likeness of God.

He created them male and female, and blessed them, and named them man in the day that they were created. Adam had lived to be 130 years.

He became a father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth. Then the days of Adam, after he became father of Seth, were 800 years, and he had other sons and daughters.

So all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and don't forget the comma, and he what?

Died. I could just translate that. It's not in the Hebrew, but it's translated to me theologically for the sermon tonight, and God showed his justice.

Verse 8, so all the days of Seth were 912 years, and he what?

Died. Verse 11, so all the days of Enosh were 905 years, and he died.

God was just. Verse 14, so all the days of Kenan were 910 years, and he died.

Verse 17, Mahalalel were 895 years, and he died.

Jared, verse 20, 962 years, and he died.

Methuselah, the oldest man ever in the Bible, right? 969 years, verse 27, and God showed his justice, and he died.

And then lastly, verse 31, so all the days of Lamech were 777 years, and he died.

And without batting an eye, as it were, the next verse describes Noah, verse 32,

Noah was 500 years old, and Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Which brings me to another tragic illustration, a tragic exclamation point of the justice, the utter justice of God when it comes to the flood.

When it comes to the flood. I mean, after all, if we read 1 Samuel and say, kill the children with Amalek, that's pretty bad.

Most people don't like it. Kill the children and the animals, just wipe them all out. They're a cancer to Israel, and they will stain

God's people. They will stain the apple of God's eye, and they're wicked sinners. They should have been killed a long time ago.

It was just God's mercy, his temporal mercy to keep them alive. This is just one tribe, one family.

How about the universal judgment of God in a flood? Everyone, everywhere except six people, mothers, babies, grandmas, grandpas, worldwide complete judgment of people according to their own sin, in strict accordance with what they deserve.

What was right? Can you look at the flood? Here's where I'm going to push you towards the edge. When you look at the flood, do you say to yourself, that was right?

Or do you recoil and say, how could God do that? Because if you say, that is right, you may say, I'm emotionally distraught, but these people have earned that, and God gave them what they deserved.

Matter of fact, so much so that he also should have killed Noah and his children and their wives, yes?

What did they deserve? Verse 5 of chapter 6 in Genesis.

Chapter 6, verse 5. When you're thinking about the justice of God, we see often in the

Bible these punctuation marks, so we never forget God is just. Certainly, he's other things besides justice, but looking at this tonight,

God is just, Genesis 6, verse 5. Some say about 1 ,600 years between creation and the flood.

We don't know, but the sin of Adam has permeated every nook and cranny in the fiber of the people, and God's going to start over.

Then the Lord, Yahweh, saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

God's holy justice is what's going to punish these people. Matter of fact, before I read the rest of these verses, why was

Noah allowed to escape in the ark?

Why was Noah chosen by God? Does anybody have an answer? If you have an answer, raise your hand.

Why was Noah blessed by God? Why was he not slaughtered as well in the flood?

Who could tell me? Yes, Wes? Okay, these are the records of the generations of Noah.

Noah was a righteous man, Genesis 6, 9. Blameless in his time, Noah walked with God. So there's Noah's resume.

Righteous, blameless, he walked with God. Now, part of me wanted you to say that because then

I could correct it. There was something in me that I was thinking, will somebody please give me the wrong answer, verse 9?

Because it's more of an effective teaching tool. So since you got the free book and you're concerned about spiritual disciplines and you want to be a quicker forgiver and all that stuff,

I'm so glad, Wes, you gave me the wrong answer, verse 9. Noah was not chosen because he was righteous, because he was unrighteous.

Noah was not chosen because he was blameless, because he was full of blame. Noah was not chosen because he walked with God, because he disobeyed

God and did not walk with him. How do we know? Because verse 5 says, here's what

Noah's resume was. He was wicked and every thought and intention of Noah's heart was only evil continually.

Verse 6, and the Lord was sorry he had made man on earth, including Noah, including Shem, Ham, and Japheth, including those wives.

Lord said, I'm going to blot man out. I'm going to blot Noah out too. For that matters, what he could have said,

I'm sorry I've made them. But verse 8, Noah found what?

First time you'll see it in the Bible, grace in the eyes of God. Why was Noah picked? Because he was righteous, blameless, and walked with God?

No, he was picked because God chooses to pick the unlovely. And Noah's sin,

I'm getting ahead of myself, I know, but Noah's unrighteousness, blamelessness, and lack of walk with God would be punished many centuries in the future on Jesus Christ, right?

And he was granted grace to be in that ark. But the rest, how many millions?

How many billions? Verse 13, God said to Noah, the end of all flesh has come before me, for the earth is filled with violence because of them.

And behold, I'm about to destroy them with the earth. Chapter 7, verse 5,

Noah did according to all that the Lord had commanded him. Now, Noah was 600 years when the flood of water came on the earth.

Then Noah and his sons and his wife, sons' wives with him, entered the ark because of the water of the flood of clean animals and animals that are not clean and birds and everything that creeps on the ground.

There went into the ark to Noah by twos, male and female, as God had commanded

Noah. You've got this corruption of man and you've got this gracious God.

And now in verse 10, here comes God's justice with full effect, with full volume, but exactly to what the people deserved.

It came about after seven days that the water of the flood came upon the earth. Judgment was going to be seen in the form of water.

Then the flood came, verse 17, upon the earth for 40 days. The water increased and lifted up the ark so that it rose above the earth.

The water prevailed and increased greatly upon the earth and the ark floated on the surface of the water.

The text there is talking about water prevailing. The word prevail means to take mastery over, to prevail over something that's hostile.

One man said the majesty, might, and compelling purpose of the Almighty became increasingly apparent.

God's will of judgment was being done. To what extent, verse 19, the water prevailed more and more upon the earth so that all the high mountains everywhere under the heavens were covered.

All and everywhere. Do you notice? I don't think this was a local flood. I think this flood covered the extent of the corruption, don't you?

What was the extent of the corruption in chapter 6? Everywhere. And so too, here we have the justice of God.

The water prevailed, verse 20, 15 cubits higher and the mountains were covered. All the flesh that moved on the earth, verse 21, perished.

Birds and cattle and beast, every swarming thing that swarms upon the earth. And all mankind of all that was on the dry land, all in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, died.

And I might add justly. Thus God blotted out every living thing that was upon the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things to the birds of the sky.

And they were blotted out from the earth and only Noah was left together with those that were with him in the ark.

And as Psalm 29 says, God sits enthroned over the flood. And verse 24, the water prevailed on the earth 150 days.

I did a little study on this, and here's what one man said, so you can understand how fast the water would rise at such a time.

Taking the height of the loftiest elevations on the earth, the snowiest mountains of India, at the measurement of 28 ,000 feet above the surface of the ocean, the rate of increase would be upwards of 186 feet per day.

How little foundation exists for those who say that men and animals just escaped to higher ground and hills as the flood advanced.

No one can flee at that rate of increase. Any person found in the plain when the flood began would soon be submerged in water several feet deep, not even considering the overwhelming torrents dashing upon his head.

It's a pretty big increase. And when

I look at this passage, do you know what I say? God is just. They deserved it.

God acted in accordance to his nature with his holy, absolute, and perfect justice.

What does God owe people? Answer, the wages of sin is death.

Michael Horton said, talking about Paul the Apostle in Romans chapter six, had Paul lived in our day, he might even have referenced

Clint Eastwood's memorial line in the Oscar winning movie Unforgiven. I haven't seen it, so I'm not trying to promote the movie, but I think it makes a great point.

Ask if the bad guy just shot dead really deserved to die. If he really had it coming,

Eastwood's cowboy character offered the deadpan reply. We all got it coming.

Did you see the movie? Good thing

God is merciful as well as just for your sake. We all have it coming.

God can do whatever he wants, when he wants, as often as he wants. Why don't we turn to Matthew chapter 20, and I want to read a passage for you, a great parable that not only teaches

God's justice and how he is, it's lawful for him to do whatever he wants.

But it also ends with God's mercy and grace and forgiveness, because without that, justice is going to slay us.

We can't live under the justice of God, we can't survive, we can't make it to heaven. And so Matthew chapter 20 is this great passage that talks about many things that Jesus would instruct us regarding.

But I think you're going to see God's justice and then how it's not just God's justice, but since God is omnipotent,

God is kind, God is good. You know the passage, it's just such a great one.

For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

Now, he's just got done talking to the rich young ruler in chapter 19 of Matthew. And he's going to now give this parable in response to that, verse 2.

And when he had agreed with the laborers for denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. Was that a good wage?

Is it fair? You'd work for that. Matter of fact, when I go to Los Angeles or Santa Cruz and I pull up to a

Home Depot, who do I see out front of a Home Depot? Probably by the 50s or 100s.

When I go to either Los Angeles or Santa Cruz or San Francisco and I drive up to a Home Depot or a Lowe's, who's out there?

The day laborers, dozens, hundreds sometime. And so, that's what was happening here.

It's just a common thing. Good full -day wage, it was pretty much what a

Roman soldier would make. No questions asked, no tax forms, nothing else.

They needed the work. No unemployment benefits, no Social Security.

And some were picked and some weren't. Some had the privilege to go, some didn't. Verse 3, and he went out about the third hour, saw others standing idle in the marketplace in the agora, 9 o 'clock out there, there's still some waiting around and probably thinking to themselves,

I don't know if I'm going to get a job today or not and I have a family to support. And to those, he said, you too.

Imagine, they made their day, go into the vineyard and whatever is right, are just, are fair, are equitable,

I will give you. So, in a trusting manner, they went.

Whatever's right. It's either trust the guy or not work at all, so we might as well go do it.

And if you were that person and you worked three hours less than the person who made a denarius, what would you be thinking you'd be getting?

That's right. Just a little bit less. Again, he went out the sixth and the ninth, did the same thing.

No reason given. We don't know. People have elaborated all kinds of fanciful ways the

Sabbath was approaching. That's not Jesus's point. And about the 11th hour, he went out and found others standing and he said to them, why have you been standing here idle all day long?

Interesting question. They said to him, no one hired us. He said to them, you two go into the vineyard.

No talk about pay, just this guy who needs help. Now, here's the heads up part.

Here's the drum roll. This is the important issue. And when evening had come, the owner, the kurios of the vineyard said, the lord of the vineyard said to his foreman, call the labors and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, beginning with the last, beginning with the last group to the first.

There's your clue, as MacArthur calls it. This is going to make the story powerful, beginning with the last.

And of course, Jesus is the master storyteller. He's the greatest preacher ever. I think maybe more pastors ought to preach like Jesus.

Sounds like it might be a good book title by someone to write someday. Oh, by the way, on a side note,

I made all the students at seminary read my book and write a review of my book and hand it in.

I grade them. And so poor Simon, what's he going to do? He attends the church. He has to write a book review on my book, a critical book review.

And I guess

I'm glad I'm more than just just. I don't think it's the best book in the world, but there's just not that many books out there like it.

That's the issue. The preacher, Jesus, the master storyteller who can talk and preach like this.

Verse nine, and when those hired about the 11th hour came, each one received denarius. You're starting to do some calculation if you're sitting there.

You worked one hour and you got paid for a whole day. I worked 12 hours. I worked nine hours.

I worked six hours. I worked three hours. And you can imagine the calculation. They didn't have to get their little, what do they call it?

Abacus. Is that a word? Okay, they didn't have to get those out. They knew.

Verse 10, and when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more. And also, each received one denarius.

What would you think? It seemed right. It seemed fair.

And when they received it, they grumbled at the landowner. This is an imperfect tense.

It means the grumbling's already in progress. This is a word that even sounds like grumble.

I like some words in Greek because they sound like exactly what they are. They're onomatopoetic. And this is one of my favorite

Greek words of all time, gungismus, gungismus, gungismus.

It just sounds like complaining, muttering, gungismus. Gagadzo is what it is, gungismus.

Can you imagine the lawsuits and the unions and all these kind of things going on? One man said, it's frightening to realize that our identification is with the first workers.

That's the way we think. We're going to call J. Seculo, man. It's unfair.

It's unjust. And so it manifests itself by displeasure, disappointment.

Verse 12, these men have worked only one hour and you made them equal to us.

Have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.

Literally, that is a burner. It is super hot outside, a burning east wind.

Sometimes it would be so bad. Some commentaries said it would make the workers of the field run for cover.

Hot, sweating, no moisture. One man said sometimes your mouth would be so parched and your nostrils so parched that it made breathing painful and speech difficult.

But he answered and said to one of them, friend, I'm not unjust.

I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a what?

Denarius. Now, this kind of word friend isn't really the super close kind of word for friend.

This is casual friend, companion. We just have some relationship, but it's not buddy -buddy kind of friend.

We have something in common. That's about all we have. I did you no wrong. I'm a man of my word.

I'm just. I'm fair. Yet I'm what? More than that. I'm not just just and fair and right.

I am gracious. Verse 14, take what is yours and go your way.

But I wish to give to this last man the same as you. It's my prerogative.

I can be gracious. I don't have to only be just. I can be just and gracious simultaneously.

And they lived in a world just like we live in the same world. And that is a works righteousness world.

Here are two shots across the bow as they part. Verse 15. Is it not lawful for me to do what

I wish with what is my own? What's the answer? Is it not lawful?

Can I do what I want? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?

You're envious. You've got some kind of evil eye, people sometimes translate it. There's no fraud.

There's no deception. There's no unfair treatment, unequal treatment. There is justice and there is mercy and grace.

There is justice and being right and giving generous things away. And they show their thanks by being envious and full of greed.

You're appealing to justice and I'm gracious. Verse 16. Thus, the first, the last shall be first and the first.

And I want to say I am very thankful that God is not just just but he is merciful.

How can this be? Our last passage of the day, Romans chapter 3, please. Romans chapter 3.

How can God forgive sins? How can God be gracious and not lose his justice?

How can God be so merciful and still stand as just and judge sin with a holy wrath, with an absolute perfect holy hatred?

How can he somehow forgive people if he's only just? Well, the answer is he's not only just because if he was only just, he could not forgive but he's just and he's merciful and he's gracious.

How does God forgive sin and stay just? That is the question.

Because if we don't think it's a big question, with Anselm we should ask, we have not considered the weight of our sin yet.

Sin is so bad, how could God just kind of overlook it? Must he somehow make up some kind of legal fiction so it's all all right?

But God's righteousness, his justice was not compromised. Diving right in here to the heart of justification by faith alone, in Romans chapter 3 verse 25, whom

God displayed publicly talking about Christ Jesus as a sin atonement, a propitiation, as a wrath absorber,

Jesus Christ in his blood through faith. This was to demonstrate his righteousness because in the forbearance of God, he passed over sins previously committed.

For the demonstration, I say, of his righteousness at the present time, and here's the issue, is what you want to underline.

This is the key, that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

The answer to how can God remain just and forgive sins is found at the cross.

It's found at Calvary. And if you think this isn't a big deal, how about this for a verse,

Proverbs 17, 15, have you ever heard such a thing? He who justifies the wicked and condemns the righteous, both of them alike are an abomination to the

Lord. When you say here's somebody who's wicked and you justify that, or you say here's the righteous and you condemn them, that's an abomination to God when other people do that.

Yet isn't that exactly what God did? He took the blameful and pronounced them blameless.

But the reason he did it is because he gave the blamelessness of Christ to them.

Is that correct? And he gave their blame to the Son. And as the

Son bore that, and here at the cross, God's righteousness was vindicated.

How can God account people as just and yet still be just?

The answer is what Jesus Christ has done. God wasn't in a hurry to punish sin.

And then Psalm 85, I think, wonderfully describes the cross.

The intention of the author isn't the cross, but it lends itself to me thinking about the cross.

Psalm 85, 10, And so because Christ was the sin bearer, we are now bearing the righteousness of Christ.

Therefore, Paul says in verse 26, that God might be the just and justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

And God justifies the believer, Richard Hooker said, not because of the worthiness of his belief, but because of Christ's worthiness who is believed.

How can God be just and the justifier? Because his full justice for all the sins ever committed by the elect would be paid for by Jesus.

And Jesus' perfect life with infinite value, because he's God, can be given over and placed upon the elect and however many people believe.

I shouldn't say the elect and however many people believe, but the elect, those believing ones. All right, well, what should we go home with?

Well, if God is just, what should we do? Number one, do right.

Act justly. Treat others fairly and justly, because that is what

God does. God doesn't take bribes, Deuteronomy 10 says.

God doesn't pervert justice, 2 Chronicles 19 says. God isn't partial or show favoritism, so we ought not to either.

Number two, I think justice of God should cause you to evangelize, because there is no hope, there is no way out.

God's justice stands against the sinner in 100 % utter severity.

You can't hope for some kind of vagueness in God's mind and he might be too kind to punish the ungodly.

One man said, Tozer did, it hushes their fears and allows them to practice all pleasant forms of iniquity while death draws near every day.

And that is the notion that somehow God is too kind to punish sin, because he's just as well.

We need to point them to the just God and Savior, Isaiah 45, verse 21. And lastly, for the

Christian, I think we should be very, very thankful to God that he is not just just, because otherwise we would be those receiving not just the flood of water in Genesis 6, 7, and 8, but the flood of the lake of fire that would burn forever and ever.

God is just, he always does justly, and he always acts within himself to do what is just.

Fairly, impartially treating the people. And you don't want what you deserve, do you?

You don't want justice, you want grace. I close you with the illustration that I've said many times with the kids, if you have children, here's how you need to teach them about justice.

When they disobey, I think children should be corrected. Funny thought, isn't it? If you just educate kids, then they'll be good.

When a child is disobedient or disrespectful, there could be punishment.

It could be verbal, it could be other kinds of punishment, but if it's a child acting like a child, then kids act like kids.

So, when you're going to punish your child, you say, you've earned this punishment, and I want to be just.

God is just, I want to be just. And justice means that when you sin, you have punishment.

And so, this is justice. And now let's get your punishment over with. And if you do that about 9 out of 10 times, the child will begin to learn,

I've earned that. That was right, it was good, it wasn't pleasant, but it was just.

Then one day, what you should do is you should say, all right, you just hit your sister in the head with the tweezers again for the fifth time,

I told you not to do that. Impaled in there like Frankenstein's lobe or something. And mercy means you don't get justice, just everything's as it were.

It's not getting what you deserve. And so, I'm going to give you a choice tonight. Would you like justice or would you like mercy? And I guarantee you, it will be one of the most thrilling times in your adult life as a parent.

They will jump up and down. They will be so happy, and they will scream from the top of their lungs,

I want mercy. It's going to be like Luke 18.

You know, Lord, have mercy on me, the sinner. And you're going to go, that is mercy. You deserve it, but you're not going to get it, that's mercy.

And you go, okay, good to go. And then if you really want to make it wild someday, then you sit down and you say, you know what, would you like justice or would you like mercy?

I want mercy, Dad, mercy, Dad, mercy, Dad. You say, well, you know what, justice is getting what you deserve.

Mercy is not getting what you deserve. And grace is getting wonderful things even though you don't deserve it.

It's demerited favor. It's above and beyond. And so I know you let your sister's hair on fire again tonight.

These are not personal illustrations with the tweezers nor the hair. But I know you let your sister's hair on fire, but no punishment.

And instead, double scoop ice cream, let's go, I love you. And off you go to the kitchen, double scoop of ice cream, and that kid is going to be going,

The other shoe is about to drop, but it is sure fun while it lasted. Now, the illustration breaks down because eventually that sin has to be punished.

Jesus pays for that sin, et cetera, et cetera. But I think it is a good illustration teaching children about the justice of God.

But he's not just just, he's merciful and he's gracious, and we should be very, very thankful for that.

Why don't we pray? Heavenly Father, we are thankful that you're not just just.

And Lord, I pray it wouldn't just be lip service. I know it's right to say, thank you, Lord, that you're not just just.

But I pray for our congregation and myself tonight that we would really be thankful. We think of other people who have earned death because of their sin, and you have given that exact thing to them.

We are no better than Judas. We are no better than Charles Manson. We are no better than Hitler.

We have sinned and done what is evil in your sight, and yet you had

Jesus pay for it, and you granted us grace. Help us to be the most thankful people in the universe.

And tonight we do praise you that you're a just God, always fair, always right, always acting in accordance to your nature.

What a pure, holy God you are. We praise you for letting us worship such a