Living a Life Marked by Justice and Truth

The Purpose of God’s Law and the Call to Justice, Truth, and Mercy

Make your way to the book of exodus as we continue our work in The law of God. This morning we're going to be in the 23rd Ver chapter of exodus in most churches today when One is asked what the purpose of the law Given in God's Word is the most likely response that they will receive is a statement along the lines of so that we will know That we cannot keep the law and that we have a great need Of a Savior because we are guilty in our sin.

And while this is an accurate statement don't misunderstand me This is a very true statement a very real statement of of part of the purpose of the law this does not Eliminate other reasons. In fact if this Was the entirety of the purpose of the law if this was the whole reason that the law existed was simply So that we would understand our sin then we can Really get to a point where it's okay to make statements like We want to unhitch the Old Testament for the New Testament or that we could separate these two pieces because in all reality Once we understand that half we don't need it anymore, and so all it becomes is about the right side of the book about the Testament and so that the the understanding that we have is that we must Recognize that this is not the only purpose.

This is not the only reason that the law of God exists in the Word of God. So not only does the law point to the fact that we truly cannot live a life that is holy wholly-pleasing to God and Desperately in need of a Savior, but it also sets in place for us biblical principles teaching us the right way to live in light of becoming a new creation in Christ and So recently over the last few weeks as we've worked through this civil law of God remember We are in the section of the text that is the law the covenantal law so we have moved past the moral law given in the Ten Commandments, and now God is Expanding his law in civil attributes to the people of Israel, and so we've worked through some Biblical principles that are designed to protect people and property that show us how our lives are truly Transformed by the gospel and the power of the Spirit working within us and that as a result of this transformation We will live holy lives in front of the Holy God and this morning We are going to see that those lives are Marked with justice truth and mercy.

Jesus Rebukes Neglect of Justice, Mercy, and Faithfulness

In Matthew 23 3 Jesus says woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites For you tithe mint and dill and cumin and have neglected the weighty or provisions of the law Justice and mercy and faithfulness, but these things you should have done without neglecting the others.

Now in this entire section of the book of Matthew Jesus is pronouncing woe after woe after woe Against the scribes and Pharisees for the way in which they are living their life and the fact that they are Diligent in obeying the law to the letter.

But they fail to get the deeper truths of the law in Micah chapter 6 verse 8 he says has he has told you oh man, what is good and What does Yahweh require of you but to do justice To love loving-kindness and to walk.

Humbly.

With your God. We're reminded that our life is a life that is called to be marked by justice. But before we can really talk about having a life that is marked by justice We need to make sure that we understand what this word justice.

Truly means.

So if we turn to the dictionary, right our typical standard of defining a word.

We we go and.

Find old Webster and we pull him off the shelf and we find the word or these days We just open the app on our phone, right? And we look up a word and so if we did that and we and we went to the word justice We would find that it is the quality of being just okay.

What the definite the dictionary is really helpful when it defines words in that matter but if you dig a little deeper right and you go and you just Determine what the word just is what you come up with ultimately is that justice is the quality of being in accordance with? standards or requirements or to be righteous That is characterized by uprightness or to be morally, right?

However. We got a problem as I mentioned a few moments ago. One of the purpose Is to show that we are incapable in and of ourselves of living this right and moral life in most cases. If you're in the church, the next thing that comes out of the preacher's mouth or the teacher's mouth is and that's okay.

You're human. It's okay. You're expected to make mistakes. And don't misunderstand me we are human we will fall we will we will do things that are not right and according to the Word Of God even after we have been saved to the uttermost but the the the actual expectation of God's Word is that you do everything you can to live a moral life and that is accomplished through the power of the Holy Spirit fact in John 15.

John 14 15.

Jesus.

Specifically says to us if you love me You will keep my commands. And then a little later in verses 21 through 26 he says he who has my Commandments and keeps them is one who loves me and he who loves me will be loved by my father.

And I will love him and will disclose myself to him. Judas not Iscariot then said to him Lord What then has happened that you are going to disclose yourself to us and not to the world? Jesus answered and said to him if anyone loves me He will keep my word and my father will love him and he will come to him and make our and we will come to him And make our dwelling with him.

He who does not love me does not keep my words and the word which you hear is not mine. But the father's who sent me These things I have spoken while abiding.

With you.

But then he goes on to say this but the advocate The Holy Spirit whom the father will send in my name He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you through the Holy Spirit.

Through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit we as believers are enabled to Actually keep the commands of God. One of the one of the things that we have taught people in churches for years that is we should Just go out and beat ourself for is that it's okay to continue in your sin.

That's not what God's Word teaches. He teaches us the exact opposite. In fact, what he teaches us is that in the giving of the Spirit? He will enable you to obey the commands Galatians 5 16. But I say walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh your your life is changed.

And so one of the great themes that we see coming out of Scripture from one end to the other is that of justice. God is declared and shown to be done just in all his ways. Deuteronomy 32 forces the rock.

His work is perfect for all his ways are just a God of faithfulness and without injustice. Righteous and upright is he? His law provided standards of justice for the people of Israel and ultimately God will Justly punish those who do not believe.

John 3 18. Who he who believes in him is not judged. He who does not believe has been judged all.

Ready.

Because he is not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Thankfully Thankfully Since we have been called.

To God.

By God to be just and.

Righteous.

Having been justified freely by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ and Empowered by the Holy Spirit to live in obedience to the command of God. We can now turn.

Our.

Attention to the actual living out and living a life that is marked by justice and.

Truth.

Justice and Truth in Exodus 23:1–3

Which brings us to our text for the day if you will stand as we read the complete authoritative Word of the Living God in Exodus chapter 23 beginning in the first verse. The Word of God says you shall not bear a false report.

Do not join your hand with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. You shall not follow the masses in doing evil. Nor shall you testify in a case so as to turn aside After the masses in order to cause justice to be turned aside.

Nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his case. If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey wandering away You shall surely return it to him. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying helpless under its load You shall refrain from leaving it to him and you shall surely release it with him.

You shall not cause the justice due to your needy brother to be turned aside in his case. Keep far from a false charge and do not kill the innocent or the righteous. For I will not justify the guilty.

And you shall not take a bribe for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the calls of justice and You shall not oppress the sojourner. Since you yourselves know the soul of a sojourner for you also were sojourners in the land of Egypt.

Father we thank you for the gift of your Holy Word. We thank you that it serves as a lamp to our feet and a light into our path. Father as we gather here around your word this morning We pray that your spirit testifies with our spirit commending your word to our hearts and lives and all that we say and do.

We ask this in the blessed name of your Holy Son Jesus Christ, amen. Maybe see you in the book of Isaiah in the 59th chapter. In the 14th verse Isaiah is prophesying to the people of God Regarding direct and intentional disobedience to God and he describes.

Righteousness or excuse me justice and truth with these words. Justice is turned back and righteousness stands far away.

For truth.

Industry and righteousness cannot enter. These words that Isaiah speaks describes the condition of the people before God Moves in the lives and hearts of men and they are transformed and regenerated. But as the spirit regenerates as we are remade into the new creation a new paradigm or a new thought process so it's formed in the mind of a believer and That is a desire to live in obedience to God's Word.

In verses 1 3 1 2 3 not 1 3 1 2 3 here in Exodus 23 we see the concepts of justice and truth being Inextricably linked. In other words they have to fall together for justice to occur truth must exist.

You cannot have justice apart from truth. So if you'll notice the first clause here in verse 23 chapter 23 verse 1 says you shall not bear a false report now. Hopefully you're up on your ten commandments.

You've studied them a little bit. You've got maybe a basic understanding them and you'll remember that one of them says something around the lines of you shall not lie. Right. Well, this is a very similar statement.

In fact, it is almost the exact statement Except for we carry with it because of its context it carries with it a little bit more of a deeper Understanding of what exactly God is trying to get to even in the ninth commandment as he gives us this idea of not bearing a false.

Report.

And so as we look at this passage, we can actually break down Into four commands in this first three verses. And then that show us what being just Truly looks like. And so the first of those obvious is this understanding of.

Truth.

Now when we look at the command The instinct is in to read it in such a way that it only deals with telling lies to others. In fact Typically it is translated simply in the ninth commandment as thou shalt not lie, and that's all we really see.

But the Hebrew language is More robust than our English language and so carrying along with it Underneath the surface are some additional Understanding and things that we we need to make sure so as we as we bring this into the English language as we look at what we see here that the idea the word Translated here as bear in the original language.

Oh.

Not only meant not to tell or share but also to exalt maintain have a longing for Raise or to take or bring away. So so the idea was in when when it says not to bear. It's not just that you were to give it to other people.

You're not to tell lies to other people, but it's also telling you you're not to receive lies from other people. Specifically if we want to get really down to the nuts and bolts of this particular command.

The command is not to bear false witness. Now false witness is better translated as hearsay in.

Fact.

Futile hearsay is a great way to translate. The reason that it's such a good way to translate it is because it begins to Open our mind up About what this actually means because the word hearsay is one that well if you've watched many courtroom dramas, right?

You've you've heard before God says objection hearsay judge sustains it or does whatever the other thing is. I can't ever remember. But the reality is is the statement is something that is a set. You are a second party to in other words.

You have gotten the information Secondhand. But we could even use a more simple term That we all know that quite honestly should be an ugly term in our mind and that is the term gossip. This is the idea of you not just Not just you sharing gossip, but you longing for warning gossip wanting to receive.

That's what you hunger after thirst after it's telling you that in all things you do You have to desire and seek and want truth. So it's not just us not telling lies But not having any part in that process.

Even being party to someone else who was spreading and sharing these worthless futile statements this the purpose as I hope you could imagine behind the statement Is to Do as much as possible to eliminate Corruption and concern from arising within the people of God now.

Probably everybody in here has been at some point in your life the subject of some amount of gossip. Somebody's talked about you. I know it's hard to believe right you're like nah that never happened to me.

All right.

Just think you know you. How much your ears would be burning if you really knew how much? Your name is in the mouth of others in ways that is not pleasing and honoring. And the impact that that has Especially within the body of Christ is that it creates a cancer.

And a cancer that grows. Because what is the one thing people love to do with gossip?

Share it and.

Here's the thing you can be on the receiving end of gossip. You can be the one that somebody comes you says hey I got to tell you this right. And they can tell you about it and. You know initially you're like well.

I don't really want to hear it. I don't want to believe it. I'm not gonna believe it because I wouldn't party to it. By the end of the conversation you've fallen right in line and. So then your desire is to go share.

I got it. I got bad news. I got to share it right. Good news. We don't really want to share right. Why. Go tell people that that Christ died for their sins. Let's go share some bad stuff. Let's go see how much we can break apart things.

And so we end up with a cancer that grows and devours us.

From within.

And so here's a quick test for you concerning information to determine whether or not you are guilty of this disobedience to this command in Your life, so if a piece of information would constitute gossip or false witness Then it would not be certainly true.

So if you know something to be certainly true in other words you have first-hand irrefutable knowledge of the information. Not that you heard it from Sally's brother's cousin's uncle's sister on his mama's side who's half twice removed, right?

You are a witness in some manner to This happening, and you know that it it did. That would not be considered gossip or false information. But that's not enough just understanding that you have information.

That's not false Doesn't mean that it's what you should do is go spread it the next thing you need to ask yourself is Am I sharing this out of a love for other people what's my motivation for? Sharing this information am I sharing it just because I tell you it's bad news.

I want to tell somebody. Because guess what you may have been a primary witness but as soon as you tell somebody else and they go tell somebody else now, they're guilty of Hearsay, they're guilty of gossip.

They're guilty of spreading lies. They're guilty of taking this information out when they don't have first-hand Irrefutable knowledge not only that I think everybody in here With the exception maybe of some of the really younger people have played the game telephone.

Right. I don't think we play it anymore because it doesn't have the same Meaning to people as it used to it should but that's where we get in a line and and on one end you you tell somebody something and that person tells the next and The next and the next and all the way to the end and you get here and you find out what the message has changed Into right because the message that started is never the message that you end up with.

And so if we're not careful when we're spreading words, even though they could be true, even though they could be Irrefutable knowledge if we're not sharing it out of love for others if there's a motivation there that is different than Showing love and demonstrating love then it's wrong and then lastly and Maybe even most importantly Even if you have true knowledge Even if you're going to share the knowledge in love.

Does it edify the body of Christ? Is the knowledge meant for building up or tearing down? Will it advance the kingdom of God? Or does it simply draw attention to you because you've got the latest and greatest bit of news the second clause Once we come to a true and right understanding of the command in the first clause The second clause we find here.

Do not join your hand with a wicked man to be a malicious witness.

Is a.

Compounding of the first the first is a general statement. The second is a specific statement. But this is it is made in a very pointed direction. It's still a lie. But in this case it is done with a very intentional purpose and that is to set someone free who is guilty.

Literally the text says that we are not to join our side with the side of a guilty person. It indicates a situation where the individual is not partially guilty is not Suspected to be guilty, but a situation where it is known that the individual is guilty.

So the picture is you know that the individual is guilty. You're being asked by the guilty individual to provide malicious witness which would be a false testimony about that particular crime in the purpose of allowing them to escape Justice in our society today We would call what you did perjuring yourself.

So that someone could be set free. The command of God in situations regarding Someone being accused of a crime. Was it two people? Must have witnessed it so in Deuteronomy chapter 19 verse 15 We find it saying a single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of an iniquity or any sin Which he has committed at the mouth of two or three witnesses a matter shall be established.

So in that culture in that day it was Necessary to have at least two witnesses in agreement Before someone was found Guilty or not guilty of a crime and so if you understand that if you understand that piece of the culture it makes this understanding a lot more Richer to this fact of you not sharing this information you not coming along because ultimately a Guilty person could be set free.

The prohibition here implies and ensures that justice is served. The temptation could be that one could do so in order to curry a favor or even under threat against an individual. In Deuteronomy 19 16 through 20 the the passage immediately following God deals with the same type of witness happening happening, but in a situation where an innocent person is.

Brought.

Before a court and their testimony actually convicts them and finds an innocent person guilty. So Listen to what he says to That situation. If a malicious witness rises up against a man to accuse him of wrongdoing Then both the men who have the dispute just then both of the both the men who have the dispute shall stand before Yahweh Before the priest and the judges who will be in office in those days.

And the judges shall inquire Thoroughly. And behold if the witness is a false witness, and he has accused his brother falsely Then you shall do to him just as he intended to do to his brother. Thus you shall purge the evil From among you and the rest will hear and be afraid and will never again do such an evil thing among you.

So in the case of this same false witness being brought but in the perp for the purpose of making an innocent person guilty The wages were whatever you were trying to get for the guilty person. Which if you really studied the law of the Old Testament nine out of ten times ended in death.

And so your punishment would have been the same. The opposite being true of what we have here. The stark contrast is obviously the individuals. What teaches us. What this teaches us. What this shows us as believers is that our lives have to be marked by truth in a world That is filled with Lies.

Believers.

Children of God people of faith should be easily identifiable and We should know that these are the people who are going to stand on truth in all ways in all situations. Even when as we'll get to in verse 2 The whole world is going in.

In the opposite.

Direction now as we get to verse 2 verse 2 gives us two specific statements that give us direction and One that gives us purpose. So if you look first of all the two instructional statements the two instructional Pieces the commands one you shall not follow the masses in doing evil to you shall not testify in a case.

So as to turn aside after the masses now the idea here is following the crowd. Going along for the sake of getting along. Avoiding truth avoiding reality for the purpose of Being popular almost. Now in our situation We won't understand the purpose so we know what the facts are.

But why and the why is very simple. The why is that we are to live a life marked by justice. The cause of justice in is our purpose in these situations the calls that that causes us to stand against the tide is that of justice.

Often as we talk about the word justice We we we kind of space out a little bit. And we space out because to us the idea of justice is an idea that should be relegated to a courtroom somewhere. That is it is.

Evolves legal proceedings or a good old, you know fashion viewing of Judge Judy or something like that, right? That's justice that justice doesn't have anything to do with my day-to-day.

Life.

But truly Justice is a way of living. When we are living in the eyes of God it is necessary for us to live up rightly. Now as parents Especially parents of older children There comes a point when you have had to have a conversation about this thing called peer pressure.

What I think is very interesting though about conversations around peer pressure is we think that they should be relegated only to teenagers or children right of a certain age, but we fail to recognize that adults are just as susceptible susceptible to peer pressure as anyone else.

In Fact you every day listen as you live a life you you walk. Can you deal with desires and situations and our flesh listen our flesh wants to fit in? Your flesh desires to fit in the worldly schemes.

That human nature right we sit here.

Believers.

Redeemed.

Children of the Living God. Who are simultaneously justified? But yet we still sin and are still sinners and. So there's this war that is raged because wage because our desires want to fit in but the two commands we have.

Give us specific direction that we are not to fit in.

Now.

First the text says do not follow along with the multitudes and doing evil. In other words Don't let the world do what the world is doing influence you to commit actions that you are that you know.

To be wrong.

That's pretty simple isn't it? I mean, it's pretty easy to explain things when it explains itself so well. Do not let the world Take you to a place where you are doing things that you know to be wrong, but there is more here.

We have a general statement don't follow the world into sin and corruption and. Then we have a specific statement in the specific statement is don't let the masses cause you to testify In a way that goes against justice.

Now, obviously we are dealing specifically in exodus with courtroom behavior.

Now.

This applies to us in courtroom behavior. Don't just go into a courtroom and because the media has found somebody guilty or because the person's past.

Says that they're probably.

We assume guilt. We don't do that. Right. As believers we are supposed to be after the truth and justice. We are supposed to follow Christ.

Now.

There's a broader understanding that we need to have here this. Because here's the thing if we relegate this just to a courtroom. We'll miss the big picture. The big picture is the world. The big picture is that we as believers are to follow Christ Not the world.

The World, the Called-Out Ones, and Christ’s Victory Over It

John 1st John 2 15. John writes. Do not love the world nor the things in the world.

Now.

He goes on to say that if anyone loves the world the love of the Father is not in him. Now first of all in The writings of John you you've got to understand that John uses the word world in Multiple different ways so it is necessary in our study to firstly understand exactly how the word World is being used here.

By the way I practiced saying word world a lot because if you don't write you trip those yourself up on those. But here's the reality the responsibility of us is to know what he's talking about. And so in this particular passage without getting into all of the ways that he uses the word world You need to understand here that this one refers as one commentator described it the best description I've seen yet the God hating system of human society.

That's what he's talking about when he says the word world here. He's talking about those things in society which directly Contradict God in an evil and malicious way. Then secondly We need to recognize the severity of.

This.

Command. I cannot tell you the number of times and the number of conversations that I have had With individuals who profess to be believers who profess to be followers of Christ where I am Given the accusation or accused of not loving and That we as Christians should all love all the time.

But yet God's Word very clearly Sustainedly and specifically states here do not.

Love.

Now it's qualified. And it's qualified by saying we are not to love this world hating system that we have. But the command is the same. We are not to simply turn a blind eye to things that are in this world that are wrong.

We are not to go along with the crowd just because the crowd says so we cannot do this we are.

Separate.

Listen brothers and sisters. You are the ecclesia the called-out ones the those that have been Separated from the world and so as a result we cannot love the worldly system. We can love the people. We can love creation.

But we cannot love The enemy's work in this world. John 15 18 through 19 Jesus said if the world hates, you know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world the world would love its own.

But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world because of this the world hates you. And yes, God chose you out of the world. It says so in the Word of God. I know that's controversial John 16 33 These things I have spoken to you so that in me you may have peace in the world.

But take courage. I have overcome the world and then as Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane in John 17 verses 14 and 16 through 16. He says I have given them your word and the world has hated them.

Because they are not of the world. Even as I am NOT of the world. I Do not ask you to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. The God-hating system of our society. They are not of the world even as I am NOT of the world.

Listen we cannot go along for the sake of getting along in this world. Secondly the specific command here says that we do not go along with the world in such a way that justice is turned upside down. One of the greatest courts that we face today in a situation that has so drastically changed in the last 30 years.

Is the court of public opinion? And the reason it's so drastically changed is because of the immediacy of the immediate availability of the information now. Right. Everything is at your fingertips in a moment if we step away from the courtroom drama.

For just a minute in the high days of the Roman Empire one of the most popular events Happened in the arena. And in the arena the slaves would be brought in to battle each other or animals or Even chained down Christians just to slaughter them, but at the end of a battle.

These gladiators have been brought in and they're forced to do battle until one is subdued, but the battle doesn't end. Until the final decision is made and so what would happen is one Continued as long as they could until and when the point when the battle became clear that one was no longer able to go on Caesar would stand and would hold up his thumb and listen to the cheers of the crowd and Then he would turn his thumb the other way and listen to the cheers of the crowd.

And then ultimately Caesar would make the decision live or die. And as you can imagine. Those people were a bloodthirsty lot, but how different.

How different really is?

Our society. Even if you take apart take out social media, right? I'll let you draw your own conclusions regarding thumbs up thumbs down and social media. The conversations that are happening at work and Restaurants and lines at the coffee shop And everywhere else you go are a constant Battering of your mind.

So if we go to this courtroom sits back to the courtroom situation for just a minute. Person accused of a crime has committed crimes in the past and their history affects how we see them. The way in which we see them the way in which the media portrays Them affects how we see them.

Even the nature of the crime itself Can affect how we see a person and towards finding them guilty. Now in verse 3 Conclusion of these this one first little block here. We find another statement. It's a conclusion of the sentence that we began in verse 2 and it reminds us Here in verse 3 that we are not to show favoritism When it comes to seeking justice.

Remember this is is to be done so that justice will not be turned aside first. The sentence began in verse 2 finished in chapter 3 all Centers around this understanding that justice is not to be turned aside.

So justice has to prevail. And so in order for justice to prevail we must we must Live a life mark that implies that everything we do is done equally. Regardless of race gender nationality or even socio-economic status.

Now the other implication here is That we are careful not to have pity on.

The poor.

Just because they're poor. Now this is an interesting Concept in our day and time. In fact, this is a a battle line that has been drawn and a war is waging.

Right now.

Typically if you turn on the news or you watch or read very much you will find this referred to as Social justice. Now, I'm not going to go into a sermon on social justice. We ain't got time. But I do want to make a couple of statements When we look at what's happening With social justice this this hot topic that has it has ignited for politicians for media for for various groups.

Fighting for various causes this this concept of the world by the world. Okay. No, no, there's a biblical concept we'll get to that in just a minute, but the worldly concept of social justice even has sought to defend the ideas of Marxism to elevate one group above another just so that they have a better.

Standing.

It literally distorts the way in which Scripture denotes social justice. The scriptural principle, right if we look at. First, let's look at let's look at the definition, right? Let's go to the dictionary, right?

We want to go back to Webster see what Webster has to say about social justice. And what we see is fair treatment. I want you to listen to this definition fair treatment of all people in a society. Including respect for the rights of minorities and equitable distribution of resources among the members of society now.

I don't know how many of you have ever read Marx or understood his his theories or concepts. But this is what we see happening today. This is what they're fighting for which says that no matter who you are you get an equitable distribution of everything.