Love/Justice

Intro:

So I want to talk about 2 different attributes of God tonight

And you may be thinking “I can barely handle 1 attribute each week, how am I supposed to learn about 2 tonight in about 30-40 minutes.”

There is some good news though.

Tonight we are talking about a communicable attribute of God

Anyone remember what a communicable and an incommunicable attribute is?

An incommunicable attribute is an attribute that we don’t possess at all.

it is an attribute that is exclusive to God

So to talk about trinitarianism is to talk about an attribute that we cannot relate to at all

But a communicable attribute is one that we can relate to and can even posses although only to a finite extent

So tonight we are going to talk about two communicable attributes

But these two attributes, for whatever reason, when we think about them, talk about them, argue them and we put them side by side, we often think of them as enemies.

Like these two can’t go together. Although they are both good things they can’t mix

My girls play this game. And it’s actually a song. And the song start by them asking a question. And so they’ll sing “do you like _______.” And then whoever they are singing the song to responds with “yes I do, yes I do.” Then they continue with something else that most everyone likes.

But this is often how we treat these two attributes and my hope is that we will be able to see that not only can these things work harmoniously together but they actually complement each other.

So we ready to find out what the attributes are?

Love of God

#1 Love!

Now, when I say love, and we talk about the love of God there’s a temptation to think, oh I got this one. Like ok I know what love is so let’s move on. Next!

But the problem is, our culture today has a terrible understanding of love

And the more we drift away from what love really is the less we understand the Biblical view of love

For one, there’s actually multiple words used for love in the Greek

So they would choose specific words to indicate specific meanings.

We don’t. We say that we love our family, but we also love pizza, we love a certain sport but we also love God

All of those things can’t mean the same thing right

So the question is, when the Bible talks about love and the attribute of love describing God what does it mean?

First off 1 john 4 tells us something pretty important about this attribute when it concerns God

1 john 4:7-8

1 John 4:7–8 NIV

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

So it’s an important distinction. That God doesn’t just love but that He is love.

Everything about all that He is, is rooted in love because that’s who He is.

So what is this love?

The greek language would use the word “agape” to describe the love of God.

Now to be honest, I think a lot of people have probably misunderstood this and wrongfully taught this at times, which we don’t have time to get into today but when we think about this love, these are the kinds of thoughts we should have

Dr. Del Tackett defined it as a “steadfast, sacrificial zeal for the true good of another.”

It’s steadfast, meaning it’s unwavering, consistent.

It is sacrificial, meaning it more concerned with the object of affection rather than the giver. It’s selfless.

It’s zealous, meaning passionately in pursuit

And it’s end goal is true good for the other

God’s love is “steadfast, sacrificial zeal for the true good of another.”

Now what is the greatest picture we have of this?

1 John 4:7–9 NIV

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

The cross! Christ on the cross is the greatest picture the world has ever seen of love

It is love on fullest display

It is steadfast, sacrificial zeal for the true good of all of humanity.

We see God’s love a million other ways but this is it in its brightest, clearest form.

Now, there are arguments to this.

And I’m sure you’ve probably heard them before.

And we don’t have time tonight to defend every single one but I do want to talk about one prevailing argument

And it usually goes something like this, “why would a loving God allow ____?”

And the blank could be filled with a lot of things but usually it can be summed up with, why would a loving God allow suffering?

And I think most evangelicals would respond with “We live in a fallen sinful world. And so because of sin there are consequences and therefore suffering.”

And there is truth to that but I also think there’s more to the story than that.

There’s a moment in history that is told in John chapter 11

And it’s sort of a long story and passage but there are different things throughout that I want us to see and understand

John 11:1–44 NIV

1 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” 4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, 7 and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” 8 “But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. 10 It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.” 11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” 12 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” 13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. 14 So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” 17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. 21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” 28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there. 32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. 35 Jesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” 38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” 40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

This is a story of suffering

It’s a story a man suffering death

sisters suffering a death of their brother

A town suffering the death of good man

Jesus suffering the death of a friend

At first, it’s a tragic story that only includes suffering and death

And the reality is that it’s a story that mimics the reality of our lives

In your life there will be suffering

And the Bible does not shy away from that reality

Most biblical antagonist want to use suffering as an embarrassing example

But the reality is, suffering can be one of Christians greatest apologetics for Christianity

And so we have to reject the idea that if God loves us, that He cannot intend for us to suffer.

That idea will crumble on almost every page you turn of His Word.

Time and again we see people who love God, also suffer.

And if anything, they suffer to greater extents.

The reality is, God not only allows our suffering but He also uses our suffering

He uses it for our good and His glory

He uses it to show us the reality of John 11:25.

I am the resurrection and the life

Every other religion would believe it’s your bad karma that has caused bad things to happen to you.

You upset the gods and so they are smiting you for your disobedience

The atheist would believe “There is nothing but blind, pitiless indifference.” a quote from Richard Dawkins.

not only is there no hope of a better end to the story and end to your suffering; but there is no ultimate story to begin with.

From a Christian perspective, there is not only hope for a better end; there is intimacy now with the One whose resurrected hands still bear the scars of the nails that pinned him to his cross.

Suffering is not an embarrassment to the Christian faith. It is the thread with which Christ’s name is stitched into our lives.

It draws us closer to the reality that although there may be suffering in this life, I know the one who is the resurrection and the life.

Think about it this way: What’s your favorite movie?

Every good story, every good movie has suffering.

At some point in every good one, there’s this moment of pain, or suffering, or unknown.

Like even in Disney movies, kid’s movies there’s this major tragedy.

Why? Because it makes the end of the movie that much better!

Why kind of movie would lion king be if mufasa doesn’t die?

Like simba just gets old enough to be king and it’s just a movie about lions laying around in peace all the time

It’s the suffering that makes the glory that much more glorious

And the reality is: not only does suffering not contradict God’s love, it heightens it. It makes it that much sweeter and better!

Now that doesn’t mean that your suffering is enjoyable. Some of us have truly suffered some awful things and I am not at all trying to minimize that in your life

My hope is that what you are hearing is that, somehow, someway, God can and will use that in your life for His glory and your good.

You can actually use that situation in your life, to draw closer to God and experience His love in a whole different way than you could before

Which leads us to the other attribute.

The justice of God

So let’s start by defining what justice is.

In it’s simplest definition justice is: fair treatment or deserved treatment

So when we think of justice, most often we visualize a court room with a judge, jury, and defendant.

And what almost everyone wants in that situation is justice

The problem we have when dealing with God and justice is that when we understand the whole of the situation, we want justice for everyone except for us

We will scream the loudest when it’s for someone else and get quietest when it’s on us

We want people to pay for their sins but for God to have mercy on us

But here is what Scripture says regarding God and His justness

Isaiah 30:18 NIV

18 Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!

Deuteronomy 32:4 NIV

4 He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.

Psalm 9:7–8 NIV

7 The Lord reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment. 8 He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity.

Revelation 20:12–13 NIV

12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.

2 Thessalonians 1:6–9 NIV

6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might

These are all verses that describe God. God is just!

Now, the question is, how can God be love like we talked about and just?

Another important distinction here is that when we talk about the attributes of God we must understand that although these attributes are communicable, they are relatable, it does not mean that we accomplish them equally with God

But when God loves He loves perfectly and continually

When God shows justice He completes it perfectly and continually

So, it’s not as if God decides today to be just and then tomorrow to be love

Or this moment and situation to be love and the next one to be just

God is perfectly loving and perfectly just at all times

How? How can God accomplish perfect love and perfect justness simultaneously?

The way He does is this is: the very moment His love was put on fullest display His justness was also put on fullest display

It is by the cross of Jesus that God gets to demonstrate His love and appease His wrath

1 John 4:10 NIV

10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

That word atoning in other translations would say propitiation.

It’s the greek word hee las mos

It means: the means of appeasing wrath and gaining the good will of an offended person or diety

It’s Christ taking on the wrath of God

It’s God justness in action

The price for our sins, what we fairly and rightly deserved

Taken on by Jesus on the cross

So that we may be in right standing, in good will

With the one offended (God)

Because He is holy, which we will talk about more next week, He cannot just overlook our sin

Something has to be done, a price has to be paid for our mess ups and mistakes

In order for God to be just and the Bible to be true, our sin has to be paid for

And it is, by the only perfect atoning sacrifice in Jesus

It is love and justice colliding on the cross

How can God be perfect love and perfect justice?

The cross

Our sins our paid. Justice on our behalf has already been had

We get to live in the freedom of His grace!

But let me end with this tonight.

Those passages we read just a little bit ago also said that God will punish those who do not know and obey God.

So there is a faith and fear aspect to this

Faith in that, vengeance is the Lord’s

Justness will be had one way or the other

God will punish those who do not call Him Lord and live it out

He will make right every wrong that has been made

So, if you have been in a situation, know of a situation, heard of a situation where justice did not prevail

Just know, justice will prevail

The price will be paid

And the wicked will be punished

Fear:

If you do know the Lord and obey Him with your life, just know that this applies to you as well.

And I’m not trying to scare you into salvation

The reality is, Scripture tells us it’s God’s kindness that draws us to repentance and I believe it’s understanding the kindness of Jesus that is more effective but also know God is just!

And my prayer is that none of you would ever have to experience the full wrath of God

And so if you haven’t surrendered your life to Christ and that’s something you want to do then find me or one of these leaders after this tonight and we would be overjoyed to talk to you about that.

pray