Justice and Mercy | 11:00

In fact, when the crowd moves, we need to check our compass because god never called us to follow the masses. He called us to follow him. We answer to an audience of one. That's it. We entered the odds of one. And so we can never let the pressure of majority shape our convictions or our sense of truth. God's word is what should shape our sense of truth. The the written word and the living word Jesus, that should be what what what shapes our sense of truth. And to choose what's right in god's eyes is what is right and is what is good and is what is godly and that's what the expectation is that god has for his people. And so if you call on him, you call him savior and lord, then your life should align with the word, not the world. [00:54:35] (52 seconds)  #AudienceOfOne

Truth matters maybe more so now than ever truth matters. We're we to find truth in politics is that's like a needle in a haystack. To find truth in our schools, to find truth in the marketplace, where is it found? I can tell you where it's found. It's found right here. His word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. It's found in Jesus where the scripture says, he is the only way, the only truth, the only life, and no one comes to the father except through him. The beauty about the truth is the Bible says that those who find the truth, it will set them free. [01:05:54] (81 seconds)  #TruthSetsYouFree

And yet, at the same time, it's the greatest act of merciful justice that if it didn't happen, all of us would be lost in the need of a savior. So at the cross, justice met mercy, and our guilt wasn't ignored. It was rightly judged through the nail scarred hands of Jesus. I just find it so ironic that the very things that we're supposed to uphold were the very things that nailed the savior to the cross. [01:04:59] (36 seconds)  #JusticeMeetsMercy

What I find interesting is that if we fast forward from the law and what what Moses was telling the people to do and how important truth is, if we fast forward to what we're gonna celebrate next week and the following week in holy week, it's very interesting to me that the very things that that god told Israelites to do thousands of years later, they don't they're not just not doing it, but they apply the injustice to Jesus. Jesus, he he was a faithful witness that never spread falsehood. He never bowed to the crowd. He never distorted justice. He loved his enemies and he defended the vulnerable and yet ironically, the greatest miscarriage of justice in history is when Jesus was falsely accused. He was maliciously condemned. He was handed over to death by the crowd. [01:03:53] (65 seconds)  #FaithfulWitness

And so freedom's found in the truth and the truth is found in Jesus, and the truth is found in God's word. When you don't know where else to turn for truth, that's where we turn. Do you know where our world needs to turn to find truth? And every single one of us who are called to be bearers of this truth. And if we live the truth, then the people that our lives intersect with, they'll experience the truth. But that requires each one of us saying, I want the truth of god more than I want anything else. [01:07:16] (44 seconds)  #LiveTheTruth

So, when it says, you shall not bear false witness. When you compare it to the Exodus pass passage here 23, he says basically four things. He says, you're to be truthful in your speech, courageous in the face of public pressure, merciful towards others, and just to the vulnerable. That's what it means not to bear false witness to your neighbor. So let's break this down very quickly. First, he says, be honest with your words. Don't spread false reports. Don't help a guilty person by being a malicious witness. The word in the Hebrew for false false report means don't give an empty report that is deceptive or untrue. [00:45:58] (42 seconds)  #NoFalseWitness

Now, what's mercy? Mercy isn't giving people what they deserve. Instead, it's giving them what god has given to us. Grace is giving people what they do not deserve. Mercy is not giving them what they do deserve. It's two sides to the same coin. But I thought this was interesting because you might read this verse and go, what does this have to do with me? Believe it or not, it has a lot to do with you. Verse four says, if you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey wandering away, you shall surely return it to him. If the donkey of someone who hates you collapses under its burden, you must stop and help. [00:56:32] (45 seconds)  #MercyInAction

So what is justice? Justice isn't about punishment. Justice is the relentless pursuit of moral order so that truth and righteousness prevail. The key there is truth. Justice is impartial because truth is impartial. I don't go, well, you know what? I just like the way that you guys look over here. Better than I like the way you guys look over here. So I'm a go and do do nice things to this group, but you guys, you all get the punishment. Or better yet, for all of you with hair, you're in trouble. For all of you that are bald like me, you're the blessed people in the room. Can I get a witness? Yes, There we go. [00:59:59] (55 seconds)  #JusticeAndTruth