1 00:00:04,879 --> 00:00:09,740 Greetings. This is Pastor David Bass at New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church 2 00:00:09,740 --> 00:00:16,559 with a moment of truth, where we challenge you to think through an important issue of life and faith. 3 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:24,980 New Geneva is a Presbyterian church in Idaho Falls, Idaho. And today, we want to present to 4 00:00:24,980 --> 00:00:31,559 you our Amble Through the Preamble to the Constitution. Our Amble Through the Preamble 5 00:00:31,559 --> 00:00:35,740 to the Constitution with Christ. And we're going to take up our second purpose for government, 6 00:00:35,899 --> 00:00:42,420 which is to establish justice. Now, no document created by man so succinctly summarizes the six 7 00:00:42,420 --> 00:00:47,880 true purposes for government than does our own preamble to the Constitution. And those 8 00:00:47,880 --> 00:00:54,259 six true purposes of government, number one, to form a more perfect union, which we looked at last 9 00:00:54,259 --> 00:00:59,799 week, to establish justice, which we're taking up today. And then subsequent weeks, we're going to 10 00:00:59,799 --> 00:01:05,900 look at ensuring domestic tranquility, to provide for the common defense, to promote the general 11 00:01:05,900 --> 00:01:12,219 welfare, and then lastly, to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity. Well, 12 00:01:12,879 --> 00:01:18,219 our founding fathers wisely crafted our Constitution to meet the demands of these six purposes for 13 00:01:18,219 --> 00:01:23,480 government, all of which comport with biblical principles for government. Oh, they were students, 14 00:01:23,480 --> 00:01:29,040 our founders, of what they called the divine science. As government was known in those days, 15 00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:37,319 the divine science. The fundamental objects, Benjamin Franklin Morris would say. Benjamin Franklin 16 00:01:37,319 --> 00:01:44,879 Morris, named after Ben Franklin, of course, who was a 19th century historian. And he says about the 17 00:01:44,879 --> 00:01:50,640 preamble to the Constitution and the Bible, he says, the fundamental objects of the Constitution are in 18 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:56,040 perfect harmony with the revealed objects of the Christian religion. Then he goes on to enumerate the 19 00:01:56,040 --> 00:02:02,819 six purposes of government. In summary, he says, union, justice, peace, the general welfare, and the 20 00:02:02,819 --> 00:02:09,120 blessings of civil and religious liberty are the objects of Christianity and always secured. 21 00:02:09,819 --> 00:02:16,340 These are the six purposes of our government, always secured under its practical and beneficent reign. 22 00:02:16,439 --> 00:02:22,800 That is the practical and beneficent reign of Christianity. That is why we assert that our 23 00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:28,219 amble through the preamble is with Christ, since he too is concerned with government every bit as much 24 00:02:28,219 --> 00:02:36,080 as he is with any other part of the Christian life. And consequently, so should we. Now, last week, 25 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:40,639 we took up the first purpose for human government to form a more perfect union. We saw how the imperfect 26 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:46,139 union under the Articles of Confederation drove the founders to call for a constitutional convention 27 00:02:46,139 --> 00:02:55,340 in 1787 to perfect that union by creating a stronger central government. Forces in their day threatened to crash 28 00:02:55,340 --> 00:03:01,819 the unity of the new republic every bit as much as forces in our own day threatened to crash the unity of the 29 00:03:01,819 --> 00:03:06,900 United States. Then it was individual states stomping on the federal government so that it was virtually 30 00:03:06,900 --> 00:03:13,360 non-existent. But today, it's the federal government stomping on the individual states so that they are virtually 31 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:20,439 indistinguishable from one another. We in the United States are rather divided, as we looked at last 32 00:03:20,439 --> 00:03:27,979 week, divided along racial and gender and social and economic and even immigrant lines, aren't we? 33 00:03:29,020 --> 00:03:34,080 Instead of government striving to form a more perfect union, our government is striving to divide us 34 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:41,340 along a most imperfect disunion. And then we saw that it was Christ, the only answer to the forces 35 00:03:41,340 --> 00:03:46,879 striving to divide us where Paul says, in Christ Jesus, you are all sons of God through faith. 36 00:03:47,340 --> 00:03:52,240 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek. 37 00:03:52,879 --> 00:04:01,300 That is, there are no racial divides in Christ. There is neither slave nor free. That is, there is no 38 00:04:01,300 --> 00:04:08,219 slavery under Christ at the foot of the cross. And there's no male and female, for you are all one in 39 00:04:08,219 --> 00:04:13,960 Christ Jesus. Well, we will see that Christ is once more the only answer to our second purpose for 40 00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:20,639 government, that is, to establish justice. Oh, what a noble and exalted goal, to establish justice. But 41 00:04:20,639 --> 00:04:26,339 first of all, what is justice? It may seem obvious at first, but not when you dig. Because for most 42 00:04:26,339 --> 00:04:33,839 Americans, a question like this, what is justice, only elicits blank stares. And the sound of crickets in 43 00:04:33,839 --> 00:04:39,480 verbal response, it is the chief prime directive, however, of a republic to establish justice, or any 44 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:44,560 other form of government for that matter. And yet Christians do not know what justice is. And they 45 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:51,339 feel no weight of responsibility for knowing either. Well, one of the brief definitions I love is from the 46 00:04:51,339 --> 00:05:01,579 Roman legal jurist Cicero. And he defines justice as rendering to everyone his due. Justice renders to 47 00:05:01,579 --> 00:05:09,040 everyone his due, says Cicero. Very elegant, sweet, and simple definition. Rendering to everyone what is his due. 48 00:05:09,139 --> 00:05:14,620 Now, it's very close to the biblical notion of justice, too. For example, Paul says in Romans, he, that is, God 49 00:05:14,620 --> 00:05:20,800 will render to each one according to his works. Render to each one according to his works. To those who by 50 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:27,279 patience and well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are 51 00:05:27,279 --> 00:05:33,680 self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. Unquote 52 00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:40,779 from the Apostle Paul. Rendering to each his due. Paul is very clear on this principle as well when he 53 00:05:40,779 --> 00:05:47,579 outlines the responsibility of the civil magistrate. Government. The civil magistrate to whom we are to 54 00:05:47,579 --> 00:05:54,740 submit, he says, for rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the 55 00:05:54,740 --> 00:06:00,579 one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval. That is, he will render 56 00:06:00,579 --> 00:06:06,399 justice to you, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does 57 00:06:06,399 --> 00:06:12,339 not bear the sword in vain. That is, he will render unto you judgment. Paul goes on to say he is the 58 00:06:12,339 --> 00:06:19,680 servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Unquote. Justice. Rendering to 59 00:06:19,680 --> 00:06:25,839 everyone his due. Civil government must do this as well. The prime directive of government is to 60 00:06:25,839 --> 00:06:32,360 render to everyone his due. That is justice. Reward for good behavior. Punishment for bad behavior. 61 00:06:33,180 --> 00:06:39,379 And to this, our founding fathers aspired in the Constitution to establish justice. How we have 62 00:06:39,379 --> 00:06:46,620 abandoned this prime directive today, and how we need to return to it. Oh, dear listener, in America 63 00:06:46,620 --> 00:06:53,139 today, justice has gone a beggar, hasn't it? From top to bottom, evil men and women have one 64 00:06:53,139 --> 00:06:58,740 standard of justice for themselves, that is, the rich and the powerful, and another standard of 65 00:06:58,740 --> 00:07:06,639 justice for you and me. Oh, the hoi polloi, the people. Oh, ponder with me for a minute. Just a few 66 00:07:06,639 --> 00:07:13,819 examples, dear listener. For example, where's justice for sailor Christian Saucier, who was thrown in jail 67 00:07:13,819 --> 00:07:20,240 for taking pictures on his cell phone, thrown in the Navy brig, for taking pictures on his cell phone 68 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:28,019 of his workstation on a submarine. And it was a classified area. Yet Hillary Clinton used her own 69 00:07:28,019 --> 00:07:32,459 private server to store thousands of classified documents when she was Secretary of State, 70 00:07:32,560 --> 00:07:38,439 without so much as a slap on the wrist. Two standards of justice. Where is justice for 71 00:07:38,439 --> 00:07:45,379 conservative journalist Dinesh D'Souza, for example, who mistakenly mishandled $20,000. That's a lot of 72 00:07:45,379 --> 00:07:51,759 money to you and me, but it's peanuts to people like Nancy Pelosi. Mistakenly mishandled $20,000 73 00:07:51,759 --> 00:07:57,139 in campaign contributions for a friend, and he was convicted of a felony and thrown into jail. 74 00:07:57,740 --> 00:08:03,420 Many consider him a political prisoner for making a film critical of then-President Obama. 75 00:08:03,420 --> 00:08:11,680 Well, this was in contrast to the $84 million in illegal campaign contributions that the Hillary 76 00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:16,860 Clinton campaign received in 2016, and this has been asserted and documented by the Federal Election 77 00:08:16,860 --> 00:08:24,579 Commission. This without so much as a ripple in the waters of justice. Where to is justice for Kate 78 00:08:24,579 --> 00:08:33,340 Steinle and her father? After illegal alien Garcia Zarate shot Kate Steinle dead in the back on a pier in 79 00:08:33,340 --> 00:08:39,659 San Francisco, and he was acquitted then later by a progressive politically correct jury in that very 80 00:08:39,659 --> 00:08:46,700 same town. Well, these are just several recent examples that come to mind that illustrate for us 81 00:08:46,700 --> 00:08:54,120 how true biblical justice no longer exists in the upper echelons of our nation. This says nothing to 82 00:08:54,120 --> 00:08:59,679 those examples I've just given you say nothing of the farce of justice that's being played out 83 00:08:59,679 --> 00:09:09,259 before our eyes as the deep state deliberately rigs a crime of process against President Trump in order 84 00:09:09,259 --> 00:09:15,720 to impeach him. Oh, this is what's happening. It's clear to all those with eyes. Criminal elements who 85 00:09:15,720 --> 00:09:21,460 should be in jail themselves in the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 86 00:09:21,840 --> 00:09:26,960 these criminal elements are executing what Andrew McCabe labeled their insurance policy. 87 00:09:26,960 --> 00:09:34,059 in case Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton. That is, their policy would be frame a story of Russian 88 00:09:34,059 --> 00:09:41,779 collusion around Donald Trump's neck in order to impeach him. Now, this plan is being spearheaded by 89 00:09:41,779 --> 00:09:49,960 special persecutor Robert Mueller and his team of goons. When history finally chronicles our age, 90 00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:58,820 when history finally chronicles Robert Mueller and his team of goons crimes and those of his fellow demons 91 00:09:58,820 --> 00:10:04,899 like former FBI director James Comey or Rod Rosenstein or Hillary Clinton, to name just a few of these 92 00:10:04,899 --> 00:10:12,539 cohorts, well, posterity will marvel at us, at the gullibility of the American people and our willingness to 93 00:10:12,539 --> 00:10:19,559 have justice subverted in this fashion. Oh, now is the time, dear listener, to raise your voice on this issue. 94 00:10:19,559 --> 00:10:26,600 We are responsible in part for establishing justice in the land, as our founders put it in the preamble to the 95 00:10:26,600 --> 00:10:34,799 Constitution. The entire Constitution is framed and pitched so that we might more easily establish 96 00:10:34,799 --> 00:10:42,360 justice by having power devolved, for instance, into three different branches so that no one branch of 97 00:10:42,360 --> 00:10:50,200 government holds complete power. We are responsible. We, the people, need to establish justice, as the preamble 98 00:10:50,200 --> 00:10:59,039 puts it. Raise your voice on this issue. Don't let it slide, dear listener. Now, as our founders understood 99 00:10:59,039 --> 00:11:06,019 and then ensconced in the preamble to the Constitution, a prime directive of government is to establish 100 00:11:06,019 --> 00:11:14,940 justice. Without justice, a nation cannot live in liberty. As Benjamin Rush, one of our founders, puts it, where there is no 101 00:11:14,940 --> 00:11:22,860 law, there is no liberty. How true it is. How prescient they were in seeing this. Our founding fathers knew that where there is no 102 00:11:22,860 --> 00:11:32,139 law, that is where there is no justice, there is no liberty, dear listener. What they also understood was that in Cicero's 103 00:11:32,139 --> 00:11:39,379 simple, elegant definition of justice, that is, the rendering to everyone his due, is implied a standard for the rendering 104 00:11:39,379 --> 00:11:47,440 of that which is due. This is crucial because rendering to everyone his due implies that there is a standard by which 105 00:11:47,440 --> 00:11:55,120 you met out justice, by which you met out reward for good behavior and punishment for bad behavior. It's crucial. 106 00:11:55,120 --> 00:12:02,679 By what standard will you apply justice? Oh, dear listener, will it be the Code of Hammurabi, for example, the old 107 00:12:02,679 --> 00:12:10,460 Babylonian Code, which had two tiers of justice built in? Or perhaps it was Plato's Republic. Oh, no, no, no, not Plato's 108 00:12:10,460 --> 00:12:17,720 Republic, because he had the idea that there would be a skilled elite at the very top that would be the rulers of the 109 00:12:17,720 --> 00:12:24,360 Republic, and everybody else would languish at the bottom. So, no, we do not want to consult the Code of Hammurabi 110 00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:32,220 or Plato's Republic. Our founders were avid students of the divine science of government, and they combed the 111 00:12:32,220 --> 00:12:38,000 achievements of the past, and they took the best of the West, if we can put it that way, and they founded 112 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:46,100 that standard for justice squarely upon what? Upon what do you think? Of course, it was the Bible, yes. 113 00:12:46,100 --> 00:12:57,519 The principles of justice must be derived from the Bible. For example, in 1982 Congress, in looking back 114 00:12:57,519 --> 00:13:05,139 over our history, they set aside 1983 as the year of the Bible, and in that declaration, they noted these 115 00:13:05,139 --> 00:13:12,019 facts from our history. For example, and I quote then from this declaration, the Bible, as the Word of God, 116 00:13:12,019 --> 00:13:17,580 has made a unique contribution in shaping the United States as a distinctive and blessed nation 117 00:13:17,580 --> 00:13:24,440 and people. That same declaration goes on to say about the Bible and our country, and I quote, 118 00:13:24,879 --> 00:13:30,580 biblical teachings inspired concepts of civil government that are contained in our Declaration 119 00:13:30,580 --> 00:13:36,779 of Independence and Constitution of the United States. Yes, one of those biblical inspired teachings 120 00:13:36,779 --> 00:13:44,279 of civil government is justice. And then, they also cite Andrew Jackson, who said this about the Bible. 121 00:13:44,679 --> 00:13:51,879 He said, the Bible is the rock on which our republic rests, unquote. Andrew Jackson. Well, dear listener, 122 00:13:52,700 --> 00:14:00,080 I just want to remind you that you're listening to Pastor David Bass at New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian 123 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:08,159 Church in Idaho Falls, Idaho. New Geneva meets for holy worship on Sunday at 10 a.m. at 101 4th Street 124 00:14:08,159 --> 00:14:13,519 on the corner of 4th and Boulevard. And you can call us for feedback or perhaps some more information 125 00:14:13,519 --> 00:14:23,860 at area code 208-523-0196. And you can also consult our websites. We have two of them. One, our regular 126 00:14:23,860 --> 00:14:31,080 church website, which is all one word, newgenevaopc.org. And here you can get more information 127 00:14:31,080 --> 00:14:36,500 about our church. Maybe hear some sermons or some other lessons, read some articles we've got posted 128 00:14:36,500 --> 00:14:45,559 there. Or perhaps you would like to comb our previous radio messages. We have a distinctive website just 129 00:14:45,559 --> 00:14:51,679 for that purpose. That website. Now get your pencil handy because it's, this is a Latin term, 130 00:14:52,220 --> 00:15:05,440 omnisprotestas.org. Let me spell that for you. O-M-N-I-S-P-O-T-E-S-T-A-S.org. Omnisprotestas.org. 131 00:15:05,539 --> 00:15:11,919 And there you'll find an entire catalog of past messages going years back. Well, let's continue 132 00:15:11,919 --> 00:15:18,120 then with our amble through the preamble as we are looking at Christ and the establishment of 133 00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:27,279 justice, which our constitution does. So then if, as we mentioned, citing Andrew Jackson, if the Bible 134 00:15:27,279 --> 00:15:33,980 is the rock on which our republic rests, well, then it is necessary for knowing justice. The Bible is 135 00:15:33,980 --> 00:15:41,279 necessary for knowing what justice is. We know, for example, from the Bible that God himself is just 136 00:15:41,279 --> 00:15:49,600 in his very essence. One of his attributes is that of just being a just God. Deuteronomy 32, 137 00:15:49,759 --> 00:15:57,320 for example, says, the rock, his work is perfect for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness 138 00:15:57,320 --> 00:16:03,960 and without iniquity, just and upright is he. So we know from the Bible that God is the standard of 139 00:16:03,960 --> 00:16:10,620 justice because he is just in his very essence. And we also know that as creatures made in his image, 140 00:16:10,620 --> 00:16:18,139 he demands that we practice justice as well. He says in Deuteronomy, for example, justice and only 141 00:16:18,139 --> 00:16:23,059 justice you shall follow that you may live and inherit the land that the Lord your God is giving 142 00:16:23,059 --> 00:16:29,860 you. Justice and only justice you shall follow. We are expected to be just as well, dear listener. 143 00:16:30,799 --> 00:16:36,320 And then also biblical justice was to be impartial. That's another quality of justice for the nations as 144 00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:42,720 well. To be impartial, our justice must be. He says in Leviticus, for example, you shall do no 145 00:16:42,720 --> 00:16:49,200 injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness 146 00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:55,059 shall you judge your neighbor, unquote. Justice is to be impartial. That's a biblical principle. 147 00:16:55,720 --> 00:17:02,139 Also, our notion of a speedy trial and a speedy administration of a sentence is also founded on 148 00:17:02,139 --> 00:17:08,519 biblical principle. Solomon says this in Ecclesiastes chapter eight. He says, because the sentence 149 00:17:08,519 --> 00:17:13,779 against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do 150 00:17:13,779 --> 00:17:21,319 evil, unquote. That's our tendency, isn't it? If sentence against a crime is delayed, we are tempted 151 00:17:21,319 --> 00:17:28,819 to do more evil. Behold, do you see how and why our founders sought to establish justice? 152 00:17:28,819 --> 00:17:34,920 It is a biblical imperative for human government. So, dear Christian, this is your sacred obligation 153 00:17:34,920 --> 00:17:41,619 as a Christian to establish justice in the land. You, as a Christian, cannot leave this to others. 154 00:17:41,759 --> 00:17:46,819 Leave it to the pagan and you'll get what we have now. That is fallen, corrupt, pagan injustice. 155 00:17:47,819 --> 00:17:53,619 Where, if we can kind of quote the Bible, injustice is done in court and judges do defer to the great 156 00:17:53,619 --> 00:17:59,559 and they grind the face of the poor, as the Bible puts it, as the prophets chide Israel for doing. 157 00:18:00,359 --> 00:18:05,259 But we, too, Christians, have abdicated our responsibilities and we have left the field 158 00:18:05,259 --> 00:18:11,940 of battle to evil pagan victors. Now, if you're listening to this broadcast and you're 159 00:18:13,079 --> 00:18:18,119 excluding in your mind, putting quotation marks around and parentheses around this idea, 160 00:18:18,119 --> 00:18:23,500 if you think that we Christians now should not soil the garments of the gospel with politics and 161 00:18:23,500 --> 00:18:29,599 government, well, I submit to you, then you have half a gospel. You have half a gospel that's been 162 00:18:29,599 --> 00:18:36,200 shorn of the necessity of sanctification. Because Paul says, for example, in your sanctification, 163 00:18:36,339 --> 00:18:41,720 he says in Philippians chapter four, finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, 164 00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:48,099 whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any 165 00:18:48,099 --> 00:18:52,920 excellence, if there's anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Whatever is just, 166 00:18:53,019 --> 00:18:59,519 including justice in government, dear listener. And we are not only to think about these things, 167 00:18:59,599 --> 00:19:05,700 but think so as to do. That's always the emphasis on thinking in the government is in the Bible, 168 00:19:05,700 --> 00:19:11,700 excuse me, is that we think so as to do. We are, all of us, for example, still under the 169 00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:19,579 civil covenant that was first cut with our father Noah back in Genesis chapter nine, that first 170 00:19:19,579 --> 00:19:26,339 established in a rudimentary fashion, human government. That civil covenant in Genesis chapter 171 00:19:26,339 --> 00:19:34,920 nine obligates all men, all descendants of Noah to seek justice and conscientiously ensure that human 172 00:19:34,920 --> 00:19:41,460 government be erected and function justly. Now I have an entire lesson on this. The idea of the 173 00:19:41,460 --> 00:19:47,119 civil covenant found in Genesis chapter nine, where indeed the rainbow is the sign of that covenant. 174 00:19:47,740 --> 00:19:54,319 It's not a silly sentimental feeling kind of thing that describes genders. No, it is the sign of the 175 00:19:54,319 --> 00:20:02,779 civil covenant. And you can consult that lesson at our website, omnispotestas.org. Well, additionally, 176 00:20:03,259 --> 00:20:10,480 what is ever so easy to glide right over is also Jesus' commitment to justice, entire justice, 177 00:20:10,480 --> 00:20:15,960 not just in your narrow little walk of sanctification. No. Citing the prophets, for example, the gospels 178 00:20:15,960 --> 00:20:22,839 proclaim Jesus' mission of justice. Matthew 12 says, behold my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved 179 00:20:22,839 --> 00:20:29,380 with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my spirit upon him and he will proclaim justice to 180 00:20:29,380 --> 00:20:36,200 the Gentiles. That is part of Jesus' mission to proclaim justice to the Gentiles. And Jesus is also 181 00:20:36,200 --> 00:20:43,519 on a mission of justice. And so should we. Matthew says, quoting the prophets again, a bruised reed he 182 00:20:43,519 --> 00:20:50,539 will not break and a smoldering wick he will not quench until he brings justice to victory. And Christ is 183 00:20:50,539 --> 00:20:56,920 about that now, bringing justice to complete victory. When he returns, it will be in fullness of victory. 184 00:20:57,359 --> 00:21:02,099 Justice will be, but he is in the process of doing it right now. And you are one of his instruments of 185 00:21:02,099 --> 00:21:08,839 justice, if you will listen, dear listener. And then like his father, Jesus hated injustice too. He 186 00:21:08,839 --> 00:21:14,460 chides the Pharisees, for example. He says, woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you tithe 187 00:21:14,460 --> 00:21:20,640 mint and dill and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and 188 00:21:20,640 --> 00:21:25,220 faithfulness. These you ought to have done without neglecting the others, unquote. 189 00:21:25,220 --> 00:21:33,880 Oh, here in Matthew 23, Jesus is alluding to that classic summary of what obedience to the Torah, 190 00:21:34,339 --> 00:21:40,940 the entire law and prophets, what it looks like. And there Micah in chapter six, verse eight, 191 00:21:41,119 --> 00:21:46,819 summarizes it. He says, he has told you, old man, what is good and what does the Lord require of you, 192 00:21:46,960 --> 00:21:54,480 but to do justice and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Oh, what a beautiful verse, 193 00:21:54,480 --> 00:21:59,839 isn't it worth memorizing. He's told you, old man, what is good and what does the Lord require of 194 00:21:59,839 --> 00:22:06,599 you, but to do justice, establish justice as our founders would put it, but to do justice and to 195 00:22:06,599 --> 00:22:13,440 love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Now, lest you think that we are no longer under the 196 00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:18,880 Old Testament and its obsolete laws, as so many try to dismiss and push aside the Old Testament, 197 00:22:18,880 --> 00:22:25,200 let me remind you of what Jesus said. He said, do not think that I have come to abolish the law or 198 00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:31,019 the prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until 199 00:22:31,019 --> 00:22:37,420 heaven and earth pass away, not one iota, not a dot will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 200 00:22:38,140 --> 00:22:42,339 Therefore, whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same 201 00:22:42,339 --> 00:22:46,980 will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does them and teaches them will be called 202 00:22:48,880 --> 00:22:57,519 Oh, these principles of the law from the Old Testament include justice, do justice, only justice 203 00:22:57,519 --> 00:23:05,140 in the land. This is the exhortation of the law, and we are responsible for doing it. We Christians, 204 00:23:05,759 --> 00:23:14,619 we the church, the blame for a Luciferian reign of injustice in our land today must be laid at the 205 00:23:14,619 --> 00:23:21,440 foot of the church. The church has absented herself from the public square with a false gospel of 206 00:23:21,440 --> 00:23:29,920 non-involvement and isolation. May I remind you, as goes the church, so goes the nation. We can lay 207 00:23:29,920 --> 00:23:36,759 the responsibility for this reign of injustice in our land at the foot of the church. Consequently, 208 00:23:37,119 --> 00:23:43,980 dear listener, labor for justice in the land. We are laid with this responsibility in the gospel, 209 00:23:43,980 --> 00:23:49,019 in our life of sanctification. Our life of sanctification should begin within the depths 210 00:23:49,019 --> 00:23:54,700 of our heart and mind, and they should extend to all of our behavior and our thoughts and our feelings 211 00:23:54,700 --> 00:24:00,319 should be conquered by King Jesus. And then our sanctification should extend to our immediate 212 00:24:00,319 --> 00:24:06,380 relationships with our spouses and our children, and then extend from there to our neighbors and our 213 00:24:06,380 --> 00:24:16,180 workmates. Should it stop at the government courthouse? Should it stop at the capital in your city or in 214 00:24:16,180 --> 00:24:22,119 your state or in our federal government for that matter? No, of course not. We need to sanctify all 215 00:24:22,119 --> 00:24:27,319 the realms of creation. That is what we are in process of doing. So labor for this justice in the 216 00:24:27,319 --> 00:24:34,380 land, your listener. Do not fritter away our constitutional heritage because that is part of our heritage. 217 00:24:34,380 --> 00:24:40,119 Is it not? One of the purposes of government that our founders clearly understood was that we are to 218 00:24:40,119 --> 00:24:46,220 establish justice in the land. That is, we are to render to each his due, as Cicero puts it. And the 219 00:24:46,220 --> 00:24:53,960 basis for rendering that due is the Bible, because there is no book which explains justice like it, 220 00:24:54,740 --> 00:25:00,460 and we are to follow it then. So don't fritter away your constitutional heritage, but take the bull by 221 00:25:00,460 --> 00:25:05,819 the horns, live out justice in your own life, and then live out justice. Make sure it is ensured in 222 00:25:05,819 --> 00:25:12,519 the government as you vote, as you write letters, as perhaps you run for office yourself, as you exhort, 223 00:25:12,700 --> 00:25:19,460 as you inculcate, as you teach. Establish justice in the land. Well, this has been Pastor David Bass 224 00:25:19,460 --> 00:25:27,519 at New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church. We are located in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and we meet for 225 00:25:27,519 --> 00:25:34,660 holy worship at 10 a.m. on Sunday. We are located at 101 4th Street on the corner of 4th and Boulevard. 226 00:25:34,960 --> 00:25:41,380 We encourage you to come and visit us because, indeed, many of you have been in the shadows. You've 227 00:25:41,380 --> 00:25:46,279 been on the outskirts of our church for many, many years, perhaps some of you. And we just encourage 228 00:25:46,279 --> 00:25:50,619 you to cross our threshold, come and visit us, see who we are, meet us in person. We look forward to 229 00:25:50,619 --> 00:25:59,099 that. And if you want, for more information, you can call us at area code 208-523-0196 for 230 00:25:59,099 --> 00:26:07,359 information or feedback. Give us some feedback if you want. Area code 208-523-0196. And you can check 231 00:26:07,359 --> 00:26:13,960 out our websites as well. We have two of them. Our regular church website, newgenevaopc.org. One word, 232 00:26:13,960 --> 00:26:22,579 newgenevaopc.org. Or you can check out our website that has cataloged there our past radio 233 00:26:22,579 --> 00:26:28,220 messages, many of them, a couple of years back going. And that website is omnisprotestas.org. 234 00:26:28,220 --> 00:26:43,660 omnis-potestas.org. Omnisprotestas.org. Omnis-potestas.org. And once again, you can call us 235 00:26:43,660 --> 00:26:49,519 for more information at area code 208-523-0196.