It is true that God is a God of love, but if
there is any distinction of importance in the
attributes of God, his holiness seems to have
first place. Whenever God grants a vision of
himself in the scriptures, the most prominent
of the divine attributes was always holiness.
Job, for example. God appeared to Job at the
closing of the drama about his life. In the final
words of Job, which are recorded for us, say
this, my ears had heard of you, but now my eyes
have seen you. Therefore, I despise myself and
repent in dust and ashes. God's holiness. Job's
lowliness. Moses was shepherding his sheep on
the side of the mountain when he came across
a tree that was on fire but was not consumed.
As he approached the tree to see what was going
on, the angel of the Lord spoke to him out of
the fire. And the angel said to Moses, take off
your sandals for the place where you are standing
is holy ground. Holy grounds. I am the God of
your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob, and at that Moses hid his
face because he was afraid to look at God. In
the year the king Uzziah died, Isaiah had a vision
of God, and God's glory filled the temple, and
he heard the heavenly creatures crying out, holy,
holy, holy. is the Lord God Almighty. The whole
earth is full of his glory. And the response
of this prophet who was the best man in his nation
was, woe is me. Prophets normally pronounced
woe upon those who were being judged by God,
but here Isaiah, in the presence of God's holiness,
pronounces judgment on himself. Woe is me. He
said, I am ruined. So great was this impression
of the holiness of God upon Isaiah that as he
wrote his book, he speaks of God more than 30
times as the Holy One, the Holy One. It is God's
holiness that he wants you and me to remember.
And we are desperately in need of that reminder
because of the awfulness of sin. and because
of the casualness with which we too often engage
in it. God says to his people, you shall be holy,
for I am holy. Open your Bible with me please
to Nehemiah chapter five, where we see Nehemiah
living on the edge, living on the edge here with
injustice. You see, God is holy. His holiness
requires that he is therefore also just. He is
just. God's justice is the working out of his
holiness with respect to humanity and to history.
The Bible says there is no injustice with God
because God is just. Thankfully, God is a God
who forgives sinners who turn to Him in repentance.
But He is also a God who will punish the guilty,
who refuse Him and fail to heed His warnings.
God calls upon us as His people to treat others
justly and to work for justice in our world.
We see an example of that in this chapter of
Nehemiah, where in the midst of the building
of the walls of the city of Jerusalem, it says,
now the men and their wives raised a great outcry
against their Jewish brothers. Some were saying,
we and our sons and daughters are numerous. In
order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get
grain. Others were saying, we are mortgaging
our fields, our vineyards, our homes, to get
grain during the famine. Still others were saying,
we've had to borrow money to pay the king's tax
on our fields and vineyards. Although we are
of the same flesh and blood as our countrymen,
and though our sons are as good as theirs, yet
we've had to subject our sons and daughters to
slavery. Some of our daughters have already been
enslaved, but we are powerless because our fields
and our vineyards belong to others. In those
three words, we are powerless. There is the cry
of those who suffer with injustice. They are
left powerless, unable to respond to the oppression
that is upon them. Say with me those three words,
we are powerless. That's the result of injustice.
Can you feel this morning the emotion of these
people who in the midst of famine were having
to sell their own children into slavery to get
money to pay the king's tax, the king of Persia
here. and they were having to sell their estates
in order to buy food to eat. They were being
charged usury, not by the Persians, but by their
own Jewish brothers. And they cried out to Nehemiah,
the governor, and they said, we are powerless.
When I heard their outcry and these charges,
Nehemiah says, I was very angry. I pondered them
in my heart and then accused the nobles and officials.
I told them, you are exacting usury from your
own countrymen. So I called together a large
meeting to deal with them and said, as far as
possible, we have bought back our Jewish brothers
who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling
your brothers, only for them to be sold back
to us. And they kept quiet because they could
find nothing to say. Nehemiah gives you and me
an example this morning as to how God, who is
just, wants us to react to injustice. I remind
you of what Micah the prophet said about the
same time in Israel's history. He has showed
you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord
require of you? To act justly. and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God." When we use
the word justice, we all have certain things
that come to mind. What does the Bible mean by
the word justice? Well, read these words from
the Nelson Bible Dictionary. It defines justice
as the practice of what is right and just. Justice
or judgment? specifies what is right, not only
as measured by a code of law, but also by what
makes for right relationships, as well as harmony
and peace. The English term justice has a strong
legal flavor, but the concept of justice in the
Bible goes beyond the law courts to everyday
life. The Bible speaks of doing justice, whereas
we speak of getting justice. Now notice this
next sentence. Doing justice is to maintain what
is right or to set things right. Justice is done
when honorable relations are maintained between
husbands and wives, parents and children, employers
and employees, government and citizens, and man
and God. Justice refers to brotherliness in spirit
and action. You see, when you and I think of
justice, we think of courts. We think of police
action. We think of the law. But the Jewish mindset
was broader than that. Justice was having right
relations with all of those in your circle. Between
husbands and wives, parents and children, employees
and employers, masters and slaves, citizens and
government. What then is injustice? Injustice
is the outworking of sin in human relationships.
Now, if justice is the outworking of God's holiness
in humanity, injustice is just the opposite.
It is the outworking of sin in human relationships.
In the context of Nehemiah chapter five, The
complaints of injustice erupt as this work of
the wall is in progress. The timing from Nehemiah's
perspective could not have been worse, but often
that's the way things work. The existing issues
that were under the surface erupted with a supernatural
energy. and with malignant management. What I'm
saying by that is that the devil was the one
who was behind this injustice, and he caused
it to erupt at a vulnerable moment for Nehemiah.
What were the issues that confronted Nehemiah?
What did he learn about? Well, he learned that
the poor were starving. They were being denied
basic food, not by the occupying power of Persia,
but by their own wealthy countrymen. There were
landowners who were being forced to mortgage
their properties in order to buy food, mortgage
the properties to a wealthy few. The rich were
getting richer. Then there were others who were
forced to borrow money at exorbitant rates of
usury and even to sell their own children into
slavery just in order to live. The injustice
that is pointed to in chapter five is economic
injustice. And that of course is with us always.
In whatever system of economics you live, there
are always injustices. But injustice is not only
economic. Injustice can occur on any level of
human interaction. It can be a matter of criminal
law. or the enforcement of punishment. There
are aspects of both the law and the punishment
that is meted out from the law that can be unjust.
Even our system, which I think is the best system
in the world, has injustices to it. And we see
it, we read about it every day. There's injustice
that occurs because of the delivery of basic
human needs to those who lack them. You think
of the amount of money that has been given to
eradicate poverty in our nation. Since that became
a major focus of our government back in the Johnson
administration Which is before many of you were
born you think of the billions and billions and
billions of dollars that have been poured into
that and We still have poor with us today and
probably more than then What's happened to that
money? It has been unjustly used in many cases
for other purposes We have given a lot of money
to help nations of the world, but what happens
all too often? Unjust governments scam that money
and it never gets to the people that it was intended
to help. Injustice. Then there is injustice in
the wielding of political power. There's injustice
that comes because of the treatment of enemies
or of prisoners. Injustice can be based upon
social class. It can be based upon the color
of one's skin. It can be based upon religious
beliefs. It can be based upon gender. Martin
Luther King said, injustice anywhere is a threat
to justice everywhere. And we have to acknowledge
that our world is filled with injustice. Now
there's a problem here. And that problem is defining
in a society like ours, what injustice really
is. Because you see, you and I live in a day
when injustice or discrimination is claimed by
many people, competing groups even. Often injustice
is based upon politically correct ideas about
tolerance. And so accusations fly back and forth.
What is it that determines injustice anyway?
Well, I want to say first of all that injustice
cannot be determined solely by human beings.
Because whoever we are, however well -intentioned
we may be, we have biases that are built into
our lives. We have biases. Now we can make attempts
to define justice and injustice in human relationships,
but inevitably we're going to fail. because we
are humans and we ourselves are contaminated
by sin. And we see relationships with others
or relationships between the government and groups
in our country. We see all of that through glasses
that are tinted by our own personal bias. There
is no human being that can ultimately define
what justice or injustice might be. I want to
say to you that what determines injustice is
God. Injustice can only truly be determined by
a transcendent, unchanging standard, and that
standard is God's holiness. It is God who defines
for us what is just and what is unjust. He defines
it for us because God is holy. and he is just.
God tells us that he has a particular concern
for the poor, for widows, for orphans, for the
strangers in the land, for immigrants, for those
who cannot defend themselves. He tells us that
he has a particular concern for those who are
taken advantage of by corrupt systems of government
and politics. God has special concern for those
who suffer injustice in their innocence. Injustice
is of a special concern to a holy God. We need
as evangelicals to do a better job of living
on the edge with injustice. That's because our
God, the God that we know and love and serve,
is one day going to judge injustice. You say,
well pastor, if we need to do a better job of
living on the edge with it, what does that mean?
That's what I wanna talk about as I close. We
can follow Nehemiah's example. It means, first
of all, seeing the problem. Seeing the problem.
That's not as easy as it may seem at first. We
think we see injustice, but again, our own bias,
our own thoughts can blind us to injustice. apparently
did not see the issues that were brought to him
later as they got into the work. Or maybe he
saw them and intended to deal with them later,
but the fact is, in the middle of the project,
these things erupted, and he saw them. And that's
where you and I have to begin. I think we need
to ask God to open our eyes to see the injustices
in our world. Secondly, it means taking some
definite steps to confront injustice. You see,
you cannot live in complacency with injustice
and also serve a just and holy God. Those two
things don't match. We cannot live complacently
with injustice and say that we serve a just God.
The Bible says that God is holy, God is love,
God is light. It also says God is just. God is
just. Righteousness and justice are the foundation
of your throne, says the psalmist in Psalm 89.
The Lord is righteous. He loves justice. Nehemiah
saw the problem and then Nehemiah took some definite
steps to correct the injustice, verse nine. So
he gave them this little speech, he introduced
the problem, put them in their place, and he
continued. What you are doing, he says, to these
people who were acting unjustly toward their
brothers, what you are doing is not right. Shouldn't
you walk in the fear of our God? to avoid the
reproach of our Gentile enemies? Nehemiah, first
of all, reminds them of the fear of God. If you
and I are going to deal with injustice, I believe
we have to start there. Teach the fear of God.
Our society has forgotten the fear of God. As
was true of that pagan world that was described
in Romans chapter one, It is true of our pagan
world, our increasingly pagan culture, there
is no fear of God in their eyes. The fear of
God is a healthy respect for who God is. In 2
Chronicles chapter 19, King Jehoshaphat appoints
a system of judges. to help him rule the land.
And among other things that it says there in
2 Chronicles 19 seven, and I want to turn and
read it for you, it says that justice was his
concern and it came from the fear of God. 2 Chronicles
chapter 19 and verse seven. He told them, consider
carefully what you do, he says this to the judges,
because you are not judging for man, but for
the Lord, who is with you whenever you give a
verdict. Now let the fear of the Lord be upon
you. You see, that king understood that judges
will only judge properly when the fear of God
is upon them. If it is the fear of breaking political
correctness, there will be another decision.
If there is a fear of some political group or
some political party, there will be another decision
given. But if those who deal with justice have
a fear for God that trumps every other fear,
we will come a lot closer to justice in the world.
And when citizens of a nation have a fear for
God, they will have a concern for justice, true
justice. Nehemiah then in verses 10 through 13
explains what he wants them to do. Nehemiah begins
to work for justice. He not only tells them to
fear God, but he lays out for them exactly what
they need to do to correct the situation. You
and I need to do a better job of seeing injustice
and working against injustices in our society.
Larry Pegerman and I had a long talk this week
regarding VAC and its values, and this is one
of the values of this organization. You see,
we tend to do a very good job confronting and
battling moral evil in our world. And we ought
to. Many of us are very concerned about what
he brought up this morning about teenagers who
are able to get abortions without parental consent
in California. That is unjust. Parents are responsible
for their children, not the government. And there
is a Proposition 73 that is on the ballot a week
from Tuesday that I hope you'll vote for. Because
it requires that there be permission of parents.
And there's an exception built into that that
is fair. But it requires that parents be involved
in that decision, that major medical decision
for a young person. We need to work for justice.
When we see racial injustice, we ought to be
some of the first people on the line defending
those who are saying, we are powerless. And sometimes
I know we get fatigued with these kinds of things,
but let me tell you, there is still a lot of
racial injustice in our country. And whereas
we may feel, and again, this is our own context,
right? We may feel that we're not prejudiced.
and that we're not acting unjustly toward minorities.
The fact is that our whole system acts unjustly
toward minorities in certain cases. And we, being
part of the majority, don't see it. I was in
a meeting a few weeks ago with some black pastors
from the Bay Area regarding the hurricane. They
had some things to say that made me sit in my
chair and listen, because they are seeing these
are the same people, these are people who love
the same Jesus I love and preach the same gospel
I preach, but they see our society in a different
way than I see it as a white pastor in a suburb.
I need to listen to what they're saying. They
may not be right in everything, nor may I be
right in everything. But I need to understand
their perspective. I need to see it. And where
injustice is real, and it still is real in some
cases, we need to be there to defend those who
are powerless against the system. And then in
verses 14 through 19, Nehemiah sets the example.
He points to the fact that he and his brothers
have set an example themselves of justice. And
you know folks, we can't go out and work for
justice. unless we're willing also to set the
example for in our own lives and interaction
with others. We need to do a better job of living
on the edge with injustice. That's because our
God is going to judge injustice. The Lord is
known by his justice. The wicked are ensnared
by the works of their hands. In Acts chapter
17 verse 31, the apostle Paul declared to the
pagans in Athens, God has established a day in
which he will judge the world in righteousness
or with justice by that man whom he has ordained
and he has given proof of this in that he has
raised him from the dead. And with that, they
shut him off. They didn't want to hear anymore.
People don't want to hear about God judging with
justice. And the fact that that is guaranteed
because of the resurrection of Jesus. But it's
true. And because that is true, you and I now
need to live on the edge, living against the
injustices of our world. What difference does
it make anyway that God is just? Let me just
give you three quick answers. Number one, it
provides order for human civilization. Just imagine,
if you dare for a moment, our world without justice,
at least some justice, without there being God's
order of justice in there. If there were no justice
in the mix, believe me, this world would not
be a place you would want to live in. It would
be hell. It would be hell. Secondly, it guarantees
that the wrongs of this world will someday be
exposed and judged. Sometimes it does seem, does
it not, that evildoers get away with their deeds,
but that is not so. They may escape the court,
or they may escape the punishment of the law,
but they will not escape God. All will give an
account to him. And as he himself says, they
will be judged according to the works of their
lives. Ultimately, there is justice in this universe,
and it is God who will exact it. But there's
a third reason that you and I can be grateful
for justice, and that is that it assures that
those who put their faith in Jesus Christ are
saved eternally. You say, well, how does that
work? Here's how it works. Christ Jesus bore
the punishment for your sin and for mine. When
he died on the cross and his blood was shed,
it satisfied the justice of God. His death paid
the price for all of the sins of our lives. It
was justice being carried out upon Him as our
substitute. And now God forgives whoever will
believe on Christ, removing guilt and any offense
that is made against His holiness. God is a God
of love and he is such a God of love that he
forgives anyone who will come to Christ, anyone
who will look to the cross. God removes the guilt
of that sinner and any offense that sinner has
made against his holiness, God delights in doing
that. That brings me to the third statement,
and that is that therefore, because Christ died
for the sinner and paid the price and satisfied
justice, It would be unjust of God to now punish
you again for your sin. God's justice is satisfied
in Christ. He is not going to punish Christ for
your sin and then punish you for your sin. That
would cross the justice of God. If we confess
our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Is that the attitude of your heart this morning,
confessing your sin to God, bringing your iniquity
to God, bringing your dirty laundry to God, and
opening your heart to Him? God is just when he
forgives you because Christ died for you. Have
you received Christ as your Lord and Savior?
If not, will you do it today? You see you're
either on the forgiven side of God's justice
or you're on the judgment side of God's justice.
He who believes on the Son has eternal life,
but he who rejects the Son does not have life,
shall not see life, and the wrath of God remains
on him. Every one of us is on one side or the
other of God's justice. And it's the cross that
is the dividing line. When we come to the cross,
we escape the wrath that's fulfilled on Jesus,
and we're forgiven. Thank God for his justice.
And my friend, today is your opportunity to cross
that line. and get on the other side of God's
justice and experience His forgiveness. Let's
pray together. Father, in the quietness of this
moment, I pray that there may be someone who
will understand and feel the conviction of the
Holy Spirit, some teenager, some young adult,
some senior perhaps, who would feel that sense
of guilt before you. and the shame that comes
with our sin. And be willing to repent and turn
from that sin, that shame, that guilt, and go
to the cross. Thank you, Lord Jesus, that your
arms are stretched out to receive such a one.
And they can know your forgiveness and get on
to the forgiven side of justice. And I pray they
will this moment. In the quietness of this moment,
you can do that right where you're seated, inviting
Jesus Christ to come into your life, to bring
his salvation that he purchased for you at the
cross. Will you invite him in? Will you trust
him as the one who is satisfied with God's justice
on your behalf? Father, thank you that when we
have crossed that bridge, when we've come to
that other side, we're forgiven. We can be assured
that we're forgiven forever. And that justice
is satisfied for eternity. By your grace, for
our sake.