I read recently a survey that was taken of Christians, and the results were that by far the majority of Christians indicated that they wanted their pastors to preach on current events. And that's not always the easiest thing to do. It could stir up some controversy when you do that. People have a lot of different feelings. But that said, today I'm going to start a series. Don't know how long it'll go. But what I want to address are the issues of justice, social justice, and the justice of God. And we'll take those in different parts. Let's begin with a word of prayer again. Father, we thank you for this day. Thank you for the wonderful mercies you extended to us in Christ. so that one day we do not have to face the justice of God. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. The scripture tells us. We thank you for that great doctrine of the faith, the doctrine of justification, whereby through faith in Christ alone we have received the righteousness Of christ imputed to our account of righteousness that we do not deserve because we were by nature children of wrath So lord help us as we proceed today and in the coming weeks To grasp some issues that are before our eyes And hopefully to to get a better grasp of these things from a biblical perspective And Lord, help us to live out our faith day by day in a way that would be pleasing to you. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. If you've seen the news over the past few weeks, and hopefully you haven't watched too much of it, then you've probably heard the chant of protesters in cities throughout the United States. We saw it the other day in Pacific Beach. Someone would shout out with a bullhorn, what do we want? And the marchers would respond in unison as they have been coached, justice. And then the next question is, when do you want it? And the response would be what? Now, like many other protesters of the past, these predominantly younger people are crying out for change. They want to make their demands on a society that they have deemed inherently and systemically unjust, even racist. Protest marches are nothing new in America. One of the most famous protest marches in history was the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous I Have a Dream speech. That speech influenced President Kennedy to initiate a civil rights bill in Congress. Actually, it was initiated under or signed and put into law under President Lyndon Johnson with the overwhelming support of the Republicans. It would never have passed without their support. An estimated 200,000 to 250,000 marched on Washington that day in 1963. There were protests. all throughout American and throughout the world because of American involvement in Vietnam War and the Vietnam War in the 1960s and the 1970s. And I remember them very well because I graduated from high school in 1970. So I really entered high school at the height of the Vietnam War. I remember the slogan then that people were chanting everywhere, all we are saying is give peace a chance, which was what America was doing in Vietnam, despite what you may have heard in the news over the years. America was trying to protect the liberties and the well-being of the people of South Vietnam from a communist takeover. All men are created equal. They are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights. Among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. You probably know those words. But did you know that they are also the first words of the Vietnamese Declaration of Independence, adopted on September 2, 1945? 58,000 Americans died to uphold those rights for the people of South Vietnam. 37,000 Americans died in the prior Korean War to stop the Chinese communist aggression in North Korea from taking over South Korea. Today, South Korea is a free country, and you know what North Korea is like. All people everywhere desire to live in freedom, It's inherent in the nature of man. God created man and put in their heart the desire to live in freedom. If you go to Philadelphia and the Liberty Bell Center near Independence Hall, you can see inscribed on the Liberty Bell the words proclaim liberty throughout all the land and to all the inhabitants thereof. That's the King James Version taken from Leviticus chapter 25 and verse 10. And it pertained to the year of Jubilee, which was a part of the Law of Moses intended for the fledging nation of Israel, so that the land, and among other things, would resort back to the original owners, and there would be a forgiveness of certain debts. The Pennsylvania Assembly ordered the bill, the bell, in 1751 to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of William Penn's 1701 Charter of Privileges. That was Pennsylvania's original Constitution. I'm a former Pennsylvanian. It was a state bell. Between 1753 and 1846, the bell rang for many people and occasions. It rang to mark the signing of the Constitution on July 8, 1776. It rang upon the deaths of Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson. It did not ring on July 4, 1776. After the very brutal Civil War in America, America needed unity. And America needed a symbol of unity. The flag, which some people are trampling on today, became one such symbol. and the Liberty Bell became another. The abolitionists, in their efforts to put an end to slavery throughout America in the early 1800s, adopted it as a symbol of liberty and they gave it the name the Liberty Bell in 1835. America is a great country. Because it was founded upon the principle that all men are created equal and they are endowed by their creator. with certain unalienable rights, and among these, as we said before, are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is not a perfect country, but it is still the greatest nation on the face of the earth. And it guarantees the right to peaceful protests under the First Amendment. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or of the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. In 2017, that's just three years ago, hundreds of thousands of people, upwards of nearly a million people exercised that right and marched in Washington, D.C. to protest President Trump's inauguration as president. He's been opposed from the very beginning. Their slogan was women's rights are human rights. They wanted healthcare reform. I thought Obama gave that. including federal funding for abortion, full access to healthcare for all transgender Americans, LBGTQ rights, racial equality, and really, I think, freedom from oppressive religion, like conservative Christianity. All of the protest marches in history have had perceived injustices at heart, and I'm not legitimizing all of them. I certainly don't agree with the march in 2017. I don't agree with what's happening today in the cities across the United States as we celebrate the birth of our country this weekend. The protests going on today are said to be about inequalities when it comes to justice. And it's not just here in the United States. There are protests all over the world about inequality and justice. In the nation of Israel, justice was tied to God's blessing upon the people of the land that He gave to them. Moses said in Deuteronomy 20, 20, follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you. Isaiah 13, 18 says, the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him. And that tells us that the justice of God does not always come as quickly as we would like it to come, but it will come. Isaiah 61 verse 8 says, I, the Lord, love justice. Christians are to love what God loves and hate what God hates. So we should stand for justice and we should stand against injustice. But does that mean that we have to agree with what we see going on today? The protesters? Mark spoke last week and he addressed the question, what is the proper Christian response to what we have been witnessing? And he said, there's not unrighteous anger. And I agree with that. James 1.19 says, So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath. For the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. And we always have to guard our hearts against unrighteous anger. He also mentioned it's not giving in to fear in Proverbs 29.25 says, The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord will be safe. He emphasized the idea of trust from Psalm 37. Don't fret. Trust in the Lord. Commit your way unto the Lord. Rest in the Lord. So the proper response to the civil unrest we see today entails not giving way to anger, trusting God, not being afraid, but I would also add not being silent. like little lambs, but knowing when to speak and when not to speak. Proverbs 26, verse 4 says, do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him. Then verse 5 says, answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes. So that's biblical wisdom, knowing when to speak and knowing when not to speak. We don't have to respond to everything that fools do and say. But wisdom is also knowing what to say when you have the right opportunity to speak out. And that takes educating yourself biblically and historically. I think Christians need to become better students of world history and better students of American history. as well as the history of the Christian church. And far too many Christians are ignorant of all of those. But if you become a student of history in those realms, you will agree quickly with Solomon who said, there is nothing new under the sun. Protests are not new. Rioting is not new. Civil unrest and civil disobedience are not new. The Protestant Reformation was a protest movement. The American Revolution was an insurrection against British rule in the colonies. The gospel that Paul preached and what we read in Acts 19 this morning caused a riot. It's what the scripture says in the city of Ephesus. Paul caused trouble everywhere he went. There was hardly a place, a city, that he did not enter into that didn't start or didn't end with an uproar. In Acts 19, verse 29, it says the whole city was in an uproar. In Acts 30, verse 32, it says the assembly was in confusion. Some were shouting one thing, some were shouting another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. That's so true today. Most of the young people who are joining these protests don't even know why they are there. They don't know American history. They don't know what justice truly entails. They don't know the history of the Black Lives Matter movement. And we need to separate that from the slogan, Black Lives Matter. And I'll be talking more about that in the weeks to come. John MacArthur wrote, Satan always opposes the progress of the gospel, always. In Jerusalem, for example, Satan sent the opposition of organized religion. In Damascus, it was the same. In Antioch, it was the opposition of personal prejudice and envy. In Lystra, it was the opposition of ignorant paganism. Among the Judaizers, it was the opposition of ceremonial legalism. In Philippi, it was the opposition of angry sorcery. In Thessalonica, it was the opposition of political revolution. In Athens, it was the opposition of cultural hedonism. In Corinth, it was the opposition of philosophical skepticism. In Ephesus, it was the opposition of a pseudo-religious materialism. What does he mean by that? It means that the idol business was being threatened. I believe that you could rightly say that Paul was a troublemaker, but he was a troublemaker of a good kind for a good cause, for the most important cause of all, which was the preaching of the gospel of Christ. And it was Peter who said, we must obey God rather than men when it comes to the preaching of the gospel. Paul stood unapologetically for truth. Now, you know what happens when you speak the truth to certain people who oppose the truth. It will usually get you into some kind of a trouble or opposition. And that has been the history of the Christian church. We should know the lessons of history, else we're doomed to repeat them. The Roman poet Cicero once wrote, to know nothing of what happened before you were born is to forever remain a child. To know nothing of what happened in this country before you were born is to remain in ignorance. As Christians, we have to look at history through the lens of scripture rather than the culture around us. That's true of the present as well as the past, and we await the future. So what is really going on in America and across the world? Why are we seeing such anarchy in our cities? Why are terribly angry individuals destroying private property and public property and hurting people, even taking lives? Why are people sworn to protect life now become the enemy of some? Why the call to defund the police or abolish the police, which is a cry for lawlessness? You know, a long time ago in 1965, some of you around remember this. There was a folk singer named Barry McGuire. and he sang a protest song called The Eve of Destruction. You remember that? The song was about racism, war, hypocrisy, and injustice at a volatile time in world history. There was nothing new under the sun. People thought the apocalypse was near. They thought that America was on the eve of destruction. That's why he sang the song. Hal Lindsay wrote his book, The Late Great Planet Earth. He had America buried in 1970, or at least getting near its funeral. Every time there appears to be chaos in the world, people think the end is near. But I remind you this morning that the world has always been chaotic. Dozens and dozens if not hundreds of people have predicted the end of the world beginning in 66 AD with the Jewish Essenes sect who met in the Judean wilderness waiting for the coming of the Messiah, believing that it was near at hand. History's been riddled with false predictions of Christ's coming. And the truth is, we do know Jesus will return. It says so over and over in Scripture. He affirmed it on many occasions. But we do not know when Jesus will return. I want to read you a portion from Matthew chapter 24. You could turn there if you want. You'd probably know it very well. Verse 36, of that day, speaking of the coming apocalyptic judgment day, the return of the Lord, climaxing that. But if that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. And then it incidentally, it's kind of odd, It says that life was, even amongst the chaos, was going on as normal. As normal as people could make it. For as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying, and given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man. Matthew 24 is talking about tribulation events and the generation that will be alive on the earth when the tribulation begins. And it's interesting here, if you read the whole chapter, that even when they see all these incredible signs being fulfilled, the stars falling, the moon turning to blood and everything, they will not know the exact day and the exact hour when Christ is coming. He will come like a thief in the night. Now the rapture occurs prior to the tribulation. It has absolutely no signs accompanying it. So our call is to be ever ready, to be personally prepared to meet the Lord at any time, to be working for Him as faithful stewards of the Word of God while we wait personally to see Him. The New Testament does teach us to expect that apostasy, which is a falling away from the faith, will characterize Christendom during the time of the church age, which began back at the day of Pentecost. And it's always been with us. Apostasy has always been with the church. It'll increase, as well as lawlessness will increase. So pastors should continue to promote sound doctrine. To make people generally aware of what the future entails without getting off on tangents and trying to say the end is right around the corner. We need to be informed about world history and church history. And we need to be busy about the Lord's business. God has revealed himself in history. He has sovereignly ordained many events in history. He has intervened in human affairs many times. He has carried out his will in spite of what men have done and tried to do. Listen, men cannot get a handle on this virus. Whatever your feelings are about it are irrelevant. It's here. Still causing problems. And nobody has any real answers. But God can end this just like that. And I say we pray. I say we storm the gates of heaven over what we see happening in our country and what has been brought about to the economy and so forth because of this virus. You could join me one day this week, set aside your own day for fasting and prayer. Christians need to get serious about their prayer life. Our God reigns. Jesus says to his disciples, pray like this, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. That day is coming. We cannot always figure out what God is doing. We do not have knowledge of his will apart from what he has revealed in his word. And on top of that, even with the revelation of His Word, we have human limitations when it comes to interpreting the Scriptures. That's why good Christians disagree on many things. Not the primary fundamental doctrines of the faith, but secondary doctrines. And even the application of Scripture. God has revealed Himself in history. Much of the Bible is history. Friends, this is a, among other things, this is a history book. In particular, the history of the nation of Israel, beginning with Abraham, their slavery in Egypt for 400 years. No wonder God told them, when you go into the land, enforce justice for all people. It includes their journey to the promised land, the purposes that God gave them to be a light to the Gentile nations, the commandments He gave them. It includes the good and the bad and the ugly. as far as their history was concerned, their disobedience in the land, their captivity to foreign powers because of their disobedience. It includes the major people and events and the preparation for the Messiah's coming. The Jews were given the oracles of God. That's the Holy Scriptures. Deuteronomy 29.29. The secret things belong to the Lord our God. But those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." So the purpose then of the things that God has revealed is not to tickle our ears and to make us headwise, but that we might obey it and put his word into practice. And that scripture was given to the Jews who were given very special revelation through Moses. So again, let me say Christians need to be educated, informed people. We cannot speak to the issues of the day out of our ignorance. Do not get all your information off the Internet. Do not get it from watching TV, even if it's Fox News. We need to be discerning. We need to be able to read things and spot the logical fallacies. the bias, the arguments for or against what is often presented as truth. And I mentioned this to you before, as much as possible, read primary sources and hold your opinions with humility. You may be right. You may be wrong. You may be part right or part wrong. do not become a bandwagon Christian. Just because someone is beating on the loudest drum, whatever that drum happens to be, you do not have to follow that beat. Robert Orban said, smart is when you believe half of what you hear, brilliant is when you know which half. Of course, we also know that some things we hear may be neither completely false nor true. And that's part of the problem. There's truth, right? To some of these things that we hear that we don't agree with and they cause us to react. There is a measure of truth in them. But there is also a great deal of falsehood in them. Like the statement that Joe Biden made recently that America is systemically racist. That is completely and totally false. And we'll be unraveling that in the weeks to come. But you know what? It sells well, doesn't it? With the right people. Now I want to read you a scripture here as we come to a close. In 1 Chronicles 12, hopefully you've read this one. 1 Chronicles 12 verse 23. Now these were the numbers of the divisions that were equipped for war. And came to David at Hebron to turn over the kingdom of Saul to him according to the word of the Lord. The people had anointed Saul. God had rejected Saul. Then it says in verse 32, of Issachar, the tribe of Issachar. Men who had understanding of the times. That's a powerful statement. God needs men and women who have an understanding of the times in which they live. To know what Israel ought to do. 200 chiefs and all their kinsmen under their command. So here you have in one verse some very great attributes for us to follow. The men of Issachar understood the times in which they lived. Do you understand the times in which you are living? And in order to understand the times in which you are living, you need to understand the past. Because the future builds upon the past, as well as the present. But moreover, it says, they knew what the nation should do. They knew the correct action to take. They knew the right path to be on. The right side to choose. Thirdly, they had wise leadership. It says 200 chiefs. That means heads of their clans. And then it says all of the people. kinsmen under them were discerning. Well, would to God that was true of the church, that the leaders of the church would know which way to go, which way to take the church. And the people under them would also have discernment. And the expositor's Bible commentary says, From a political standpoint, they knew the future was with David. The shepherd boy turned warrior who had already been anointed king of Israel, but who had not yet ascended to the throne. And because they understood the times, they cast their lot with David rather than Saul. Who are you casting your lot with today? Whom are you in agreement with? Whom are you following? We need leaders today who understand the times, because we live in tumultuous times. Things are happening which will affect you, your family, your work, your community, your country, and your church. We need citizens who will not blindly follow people, but will stand up for what is right. We need Christians who will seek to follow Jesus above every other, every other thing. Follow Him with their whole heart and soul and mind and strength. And the result of that is you will love people the way God wants you to love people. But put your allegiance to Christ above everything. The solution to society's problems, listen to me, will not come from white power or black power or brown power, but from the power of God to change the human heart. People need to be born again. That's the greatest change that will affect the world for good. And it tells you something. It tells you that they're striking at the heart of change by denying the Word of God. And Christians are going to be the great recipients of that attack. An atheist is on the rise, atheism is on the rise, if not by literal word, certainly by the way people behave, practical atheism. We are losing, and this is a fact, we are losing this generation of young people. They are tuning out to the message of Christianity, they are turning away from church, They want little or nothing to do with organized religion, and the future is not bright as far as that goes. It has been said lately that men and women don't have a skin problem, they have a sin problem. And the only remedy for the sin problem for all men, women, and children is Jesus Christ. And you can talk about your liberties all you want, and I can talk about the liberties that I cherish as an American citizen, but that's not true freedom in the absolute sense of the word, because Jesus said, and it's in the bulletin today, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. And if Jesus has not set you free by the power of the gospel to change your heart, so that you're born again and a new creature in Christ Jesus, you are not free. You are in bondage to a master, and that master is who? Satan. And the lusts of your father you will follow. That's what the Bible says. If the Son sets you free, you'll be free, truly. You've probably heard this song. In New York Harbor stands a lady with the torch raised to the sky, and all who know her know she stands for liberty for you and me. I'm so glad to be called an American, to be named with the brave and the free. I will honor our flag and our trust in God and the Statue of Liberty. On lonely Golgotha stood a cross, with my Lord raised to the sky. And all who kneel there live forever. And all the saints can testify. I'm so glad to be called a Christian. To be named with the ransom and the whole. As the statue liberates the citizen, so the cross liberates the soul. Oh, the cross is my statue of liberty. It was there my soul was set free. Unashamed, I'll proclaim that an old rugged cross is my statue of liberty. Paul knew that, and that's why he could say in Galatians 6.13, God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. I hope you can say that. Above all things, God forbid that you should boast except in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.