Participants:
Series Code: AU
Program Code: AU000019S
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00:01 - Hey, we all know good people suffer
00:03 and bad people often seem to get away with murder. 00:06 And I mean, literally. 00:08 And for thousands of years, 00:09 we've all been begging for a little bit of justice. 00:13 Today on "Authentic," we're going to explore 00:15 what justice actually means and when you can expect it. 00:19 [soft music] 00:40 You know, I haven't been to court very often. 00:43 And when I do go to court, 00:44 I'm usually there as a pastor 00:46 to support somebody who's going 00:47 through a little bit of a rough patch in life. 00:51 But if I'm perfectly honest, 00:53 I'd have to admit that I have been to court as a defendant. 00:57 Now, it wasn't a criminal case. 00:59 It was just traffic court. 01:01 But nonetheless, I have had to plead my case before a judge. 01:04 So here's what actually happened. 01:07 I was working on the other side of the country 01:09 and my wife was expecting our first child. 01:12 And I had planned to get back home about 10 days 01:15 before the due date, 01:16 not really understanding just how early 01:19 a first baby might arrive. 01:21 And so to my shame, I missed the birth 01:24 of our oldest daughter by about four hours. 01:28 Now, I did have the foresight not to leave my wife alone 01:32 in those last few weeks. 01:33 And my mother was there to help her 01:35 if something should happen. 01:38 And of course, something did happen. 01:40 So my mother drove Jean to the hospital 01:43 and she parked our car right next to the hospital 01:47 in a no parking zone. 01:48 And before she could get back to the car, we had a ticket. 01:52 So when the court date came, 01:54 I knew I was gonna have to plead guilty 01:56 because the car was parked illegally. 01:58 But I still plan to make my case 02:00 hoping for a little bit of mercy. 02:04 So what I planned to do was plead guilty with cause, 02:08 which means you're guilty but you think you have an excuse. 02:12 So I sat in the courtroom 02:14 listening to the other cases that came before me 02:17 and the person who came right before me was a teacher 02:20 also with a parking ticket. 02:22 And this is the case that teacher made. 02:24 "Your Worship," he said, because in Canada, 02:27 that's how you have to address the judge. 02:29 "Your Worship, 02:30 "I was taking some students to the public library 02:33 "and they took a long time checking out 02:35 "so I got a ticket for being in the drop-off zone 02:38 "for way too long." 02:41 The judge smiled and said, 02:43 "Oh, listen, I understand. 02:45 "I'll dismiss your ticket." 02:46 And the teacher smiled, 02:48 and the judge smiled, and we all smiled. 02:50 I smiled because now I knew I had a merciful judge. 02:54 I mean, if he threw out a ticket because of library books, 02:57 what do you think he's gonna do with a woman in labor? 02:59 This was going to be easy. 03:02 So my name was called and I stood up to make my case. 03:05 "How do you plead?" the judge asked. 03:07 "Guilty with cause, Worship." 03:09 "Okay," he said. 03:10 "Go ahead and state your case." 03:12 "Well, I was out of town, sir, and my wife went into labor, 03:15 "so my mother drove her to the hospital, 03:17 "and in their haste to get inside 03:19 "to get immediate medical attention, 03:21 "they didn't see the time limit on the sign by the road. 03:24 "So yes, I know the car was parked illegally 03:27 "and I know we deserve the ticket, 03:29 "but given the nature of what was happening, 03:31 "I'm hoping for some mercy from the court." 03:36 So now, you tell me which is the better case, 03:39 kids with library books or a woman in labor? 03:42 It seems obvious to me, but not to that judge. 03:46 He threw the book at me. 03:47 "The car was parked illegally, Mr. Boonstra. 03:50 "There's no excuse, go and pay your fine." 03:52 Bang. 03:53 So of course, I went and paid it. 03:55 But I was more than a little irritated 03:57 because it seems so arbitrary, unjust. 04:01 Why does the other guy get mercy for library books 04:04 and I get nothing? 04:05 I mean, I would have no problem if both of us got convicted, 04:09 or if both of us were forgiven. 04:12 That would seem fair. 04:13 But this felt like there were two different standards, 04:16 and I'll be honest, it made me a little angry. 04:19 Now, of course, the car was parked illegally 04:22 and the fine was completely appropriate, 04:24 but I still got my nose out of joint. 04:27 I'm guessing, you know what I'm talking about. 04:29 Because at some point, somebody's done this to you. 04:33 Anybody who's lived on this planet for any length of time 04:36 figures out that life is not fair. 04:39 Now, they tell you that when you're a kid, 04:41 but you don't really believe it until you grow up. 04:44 And at some point, you're going to be treated unjustly. 04:47 It's just the way it works. 04:50 And when it's nothing more than a parking ticket, 04:52 you mutter, right? 04:53 And then you let it go. 04:55 But when it's something worse, 04:57 something that really affects your quality of life. 05:00 Well, that's what philosophers have been wrestling with 05:04 for thousands of years. 05:07 The philosopher Susan Nieman once said, 05:09 "The problem of evil 05:11 "is the guiding force of modern thought." 05:14 What does she mean? 05:15 What's the problem of evil? 05:17 Well, traditionally, the problem of evil goes like this. 05:21 If there is a God and God is good, 05:24 then why do we have to live 05:25 with things like pain and suffering? 05:27 Why do good people hurt and evil people prosper? 05:31 Why do we have natural disasters and famine and plague? 05:35 Shouldn't a good and righteous God 05:37 put a stop to all that stuff? 05:40 Now, the way philosophers talk about this, 05:42 there are only a few possible answers. 05:44 Either God doesn't exist, 05:47 or maybe he's powerless to do anything, 05:50 or maybe he's some kind of moral monster 05:53 who's not actually good. 05:56 Or maybe there's a reason that God allows these things. 06:00 Trying to explain why we have a good God and a bad world 06:03 is something that theologians would call theodicy. 06:06 It's when you try to vindicate the character of God 06:09 and defend him against the painful reality 06:12 of human existence. 06:14 No matter what your concept of God is, 06:17 this has been one of the big questions, 06:19 driving the practice of philosophy right from the beginning. 06:23 And what we get in a lot of the works 06:25 of the great philosophers is a lot of real estate 06:28 devoted to the notion of justice. 06:31 Back in my first year of college, 06:33 I was forced to read this book, Plato's "Republic." 06:37 And I'm guessing some of you were forced to read this, too. 06:40 This is actually still the copy 06:41 I bought my first year of college. 06:44 This book was written almost 400 years before Christ. 06:48 And the reason we're still reading it today 06:50 is because nobody has actually solved the problems 06:53 that Plato brings up. 06:55 And one of the biggest ideas he wrestles with in here 06:58 is the notion of justice. 07:00 What exactly do we mean by that word? 07:02 What is justice? 07:04 How do you know for sure if something is just or unjust? 07:09 And if you do manage to define what justice is, 07:12 how would you organize a society to achieve that justice? 07:18 Now, there's a part of me that just wants to open this book 07:20 and have reading theater right here on the show. 07:22 But first of all, we'd never have enough time. 07:24 And secondly, that would probably be the apex of boring. 07:28 So let me just summarize this. 07:30 Basically what Plato defines as justice is good order. 07:36 He argues that an orderly city 07:38 or an orderly civilization would be a just one. 07:41 And then he compares a good person to a good city. 07:45 And he makes the argument that just like an orderly city 07:48 is just, an orderly person is also just. 07:52 Now, personally, I find all that a bit of a disappointment, 07:56 especially after waiting through what? 07:58 400 pages. 07:59 But given the way that Plato was almost the first guy 08:02 to bat on this subject, I'm gonna have to give him a pass. 08:05 And to be fair, I summarized a pretty big and masterful book 08:09 in about 20 words. 08:10 And if you ever find yourself bored 08:11 on a Saturday night reading this, 08:13 it's probably better for your brain than a light movie. 08:17 Played it. 08:18 Now let's go to Aristotle, 08:20 that other superstar of Greek philosophy. 08:22 And Aristotle comes up with a very political definition 08:25 of justice that revolves around the idea 08:28 that the burdens and benefits of society 08:30 should be fairly divided among all citizens. 08:33 Of course, it's been more than 2,000 years 08:36 since he said that, 08:37 and we still have no idea what fairness actually looks like, 08:41 because we've discovered that all depends 08:43 on your point of view. 08:45 Who gets to determine what's fair? 08:48 Aristotle did suggest 08:49 that fairness should be based on law 08:52 rather than the opinions of leadership, 08:54 so we can at least partially thank Aristotle 08:57 for helping establish the idea of the rule of law, 09:01 but only partially. 09:03 Aristotle also draws a distinction 09:05 between justice and decency 09:07 because he says sometimes following the rule 09:09 of law too strictly can actually produce injustice. 09:13 And in that case, it would be more important 09:15 to behave decently than legally. 09:18 And I hope the judge who treated me indecently 09:20 is listening to Aristotle. 09:23 Now, I should probably stop making irresponsible summaries 09:27 of these great thinkers, because I am doing them 09:30 a little bit of an injustice. 09:32 So let's just jump past the next 2,000 years 09:35 and I'll just tell you 09:36 that nobody's ever really figured this question out. 09:38 And let me get to what I'm actually driving at. 09:42 Why is it so hard for us to figure out what's fair? 09:46 And why do we even care about fairness? 09:49 This is an instinct that shows up very early 09:52 in a human lifetime. 09:53 I mean, take two little kids. 09:55 Parents, you know what I'm talking about. 09:56 Pour two glasses of orange juice 09:58 and both of those kids are gonna eyeball those glasses 10:01 to make sure they both get exactly the same amount. 10:05 So what a lot of parents do, what we did 10:07 is let one kid pour the juice 10:09 and the other one gets to choose. 10:11 We're driving for fairness. 10:13 This is an essential part of who we are. 10:16 But you do have to wonder 10:18 why do we seem to think that anything could 10:21 or should be fair? 10:23 Why assume that there is a right and a wrong way to live? 10:27 I'll be right back after this 10:29 to take a kick at that particular can. 10:33 - [Narrator] Dragons, beasts, cryptic statutes. 10:38 Bible prophecy can be incredibly vivid and confusing. 10:42 If you've ever read Daniel or Revelation 10:44 and come away scratching your head, you're not alone. 10:47 Our free "Focus on Prophecy" guides 10:50 are designed to help you unlock the mysteries of the Bible 10:53 and deepen your understanding of God's plan 10:55 for you and our world. 10:57 Study online or request them by mail 10:59 and start bringing prophecy into focus today. 11:03 - I don't know how many of you were listening 11:04 to Billy Joel back in the 1970s and 80s, 11:07 but maybe some of you remember his 1977 song 11:10 "Only the Good Die Young." 11:13 The premise of the song is well, awful, 11:15 because he's trying to get a good girl 11:17 from a Catholic school to be a bad girl, if you get my drift 11:21 but underneath the attempt to woo her to the dark side 11:24 is an idea that well, unfortunately, 11:26 a lot of people agree with because life has taught them 11:29 that good behavior never seems to get rewarded. 11:33 Just in case you're forgetting the song, 11:34 I'll refresh your memory and don't worry, 11:36 I'm not gonna try to sing it. 11:38 It says, "They say there's a heaven for those who will wait. 11:41 "Some say it's better, but I say it ain't. 11:44 "I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints. 11:47 "The sinners are much more fun. 11:49 "You know that only the good die young." 11:52 That's a 20th century pop version 11:54 of the same philosophical question 11:57 why do bad things happen to good people 11:59 and the other way around? 12:01 What's the point of living a virtuous life 12:03 if bad people seem to get rewarded for being bad? 12:07 I mean, we all like to think that crime doesn't pay 12:09 and we try to convince each other 12:10 that's the way the world works. 12:12 But you know that's not true. 12:15 Far too often, it seems like very bad people 12:17 never get what's coming to them and really good people, 12:20 the ones who try to be virtuous, 12:22 well, society kind of spits on them 12:25 and they often live a painful existence. 12:29 And while you could wade your way 12:31 through thousands and thousands of pages 12:33 of really great philosophy, and maybe you should, 12:35 because I don't think enough people are actually aware 12:38 of how our civilization was constructed. 12:40 [mystical music] 12:42 There is one book that stands head and shoulders 12:44 above all the rest when it comes to understanding 12:46 this problem of evil. 12:48 And before you dismiss the Bible as a collection 12:50 of ancient religious propaganda, I wanna encourage you 12:53 to actually read it. 12:56 Because if this is propaganda, 12:58 this is some of the worst propaganda I've ever seen. 13:01 It openly discusses the sins of God's own people. 13:05 It tells us Moses was a murderer. 13:07 Noah was a drunk. 13:09 David was a philanderer. 13:11 And so if this is trying to paint a positive image 13:13 of religious people, if this is nothing 13:16 but a cultural artifact meant to make people look good, 13:19 I'd have to give it an F on that front because it fails. 13:23 But that's not what this is. 13:25 What you find in here is a surprising 13:27 and refreshing degree of transparency. 13:30 It describes real human beings with real human problems 13:34 and there is no attempt to hide the fact 13:36 that our world is a very unjust place. 13:39 In fact, in one of the books in the Bible, 13:41 the Book of Job, there are 42 incredibly detailed chapters 13:45 dealing with the fact that a very good man 13:47 is suffering a horrible fate. 13:50 And it's a story that predates Plato and Aristotle 13:53 by hundreds of years. 13:56 We don't really know for sure who wrote it. 13:57 Most people suspect it was Moses, 13:59 but I've got to tell you, what you find in the Book of Job 14:02 is pretty profound. 14:04 I mean, it identifies Job as a good man, a believer in God, 14:08 and very early in the story, he loses everything 14:11 and wishes he could die. 14:14 Let me give you a sample. 14:15 This comes from Job 3. 14:17 It says, "After this, Job opened his mouth 14:21 "and cursed the day of his birth. 14:22 "And Job spoke, and said, 14:24 "'May the day perish on which I was born, 14:26 "'and the night in which it was said 14:28 "'a male child is conceived. 14:30 "'May that day be darkness; 14:32 "'May God above not seek it, 14:34 "'nor the light shine upon it. 14:36 "'May darkness in the shadow of death claim it; 14:38 "'may a cloud settle on it; 14:40 "'may the blackness of the day terrify it." 14:45 Now, don't forget. 14:46 This is a righteous man who claims to worship God. 14:50 And so if you can identify at all with what I just read, 14:53 I think you should probably take another look 14:54 at this whole book and see where this goes. 14:57 Because it offers a depth you're not gonna find 15:00 from the classical philosophers. 15:03 Now, let me show you something 15:05 I was reading just a few days ago in the Book of Psalms. 15:08 And maybe we'll spend just a little bit of time here 15:11 because my guess is that what we're about to read 15:13 will ring a lot of bells for a lot of people. 15:16 Again, there's a degree of honesty 15:18 that you don't find in a lot of modern religions. 15:21 Unfortunately, here in North America, 15:24 Christianity has become something of a consumer product, 15:27 where we seem to think that if we don't all look happy 15:29 and prosperous and perfect, 15:31 nobody's gonna be interested in what we have to offer. 15:34 And if we're really honest, we'd have to admit 15:36 there's a bit of a phony veneer painted over the church 15:39 because in some ways, we've been trying to sell Jesus 15:43 the same way you sell fast food or cars. 15:46 But that's not at all what you find in this book. 15:48 There's not an ounce of phony in here. 15:51 This is one of the most authentic things I've ever read. 15:54 And believe me, this book is going to challenge you. 15:57 So here we go now with Psalm 73, 16:00 which was written by a temple worker by the name of Asaph. 16:03 Let's just dive right in. 16:04 He says, "Truly, God is good to Israel, 16:07 "to such as are pure in heart." 16:10 So I could probably stop right there 16:11 because that's good advertising, right? 16:13 Just come to church, get to know God, life will be good. 16:16 And frankly, what Asaph just said is absolutely true. 16:19 I can personally tell you 16:21 after 30 years of studying this faith, 16:23 God is good to his people 16:25 and there is a reward for having a pure heart. 16:28 But that's not the whole story. 16:30 So let's read verse two. 16:32 "But as for me," he says, "my feet had almost stumbled; 16:35 "my steps had nearly slipped. 16:36 "For I was envious of the boastful, 16:39 "when I saw the prosperity of the wicked." 16:44 Hold the phone there. 16:46 He just admitted that he was tempted to leave the faith 16:49 because wicked people appear to have a better life. 16:55 This is almost the ancient equivalent 16:58 of only the good die young. 17:00 What's the point of living a good and virtuous life 17:02 if being wicked and reckless is gonna get you places? 17:06 I continue. 17:06 And it keeps going. 17:08 There's some really amazing stuff here. 17:09 He says, "For there are no pangs in their death, 17:13 "but their strength is firm." 17:15 So in other words, the wicked don't even die 17:17 the same miserable death that we die. 17:19 They have things like money and comfort and support. 17:23 "They are not in trouble as other men, 17:25 "nor are they plagued like other men." 17:28 Now, think about this one. 17:29 When you and I get a nasty surprise, 17:31 like a broken garage door, a surprise trip to the ER, 17:35 it means we're gonna have to make some decisions 17:37 about how we're gonna pay for it. 17:39 But some people out there can just live 17:41 with absolute abandonment, even if they hurt people 17:43 because they'll just write a check. 17:46 He continues, "Therefore pride serves as their necklace; 17:50 "violence covers them like a garment. 17:52 "Their eyes bulge with abundance; 17:54 "they have more than heart could wish. 17:56 "They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression; 17:59 "they speak loftily. 18:01 "They set their mouth against the heavens, 18:02 "and their tongue walks through the earth." 18:07 This is what made this author waver in his faith. 18:10 His goodness was rewarded with a hard life, 18:13 and people who didn't care about virtue 18:15 seemed to be able to do whatever they want. 18:18 "Behold," he says in verse 12, "these are the ungodly, 18:22 "who are always at ease; 18:24 "they increase in riches. 18:26 "Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain 18:28 "and washed my hands in innocence. 18:30 "For all day long I have been plagued, 18:32 "and chastened every morning." 18:37 Now at this point, Asaph the temple worker, 18:40 and Billy Joel are kind of on the same page, 18:43 only the good die young. 18:45 So you gotta wonder why godly people would even bother. 18:48 Why persist in a system that doesn't seem to reward you? 18:52 I'll be right back after this to show you what it says. 18:55 [bright music] 18:56 - [Announcer] Here at the "Voice of Prophecy," 18:58 we're committed to creating top quality programming 19:00 for the whole family. 19:01 Like our audio adventure series "Discovery Mountain." 19:04 "Discovery Mountain" is a Bible-based program 19:07 for kids of all ages and backgrounds. 19:09 Your family will enjoy the faith-building stories 19:12 from the Small Mountain Summer Camp and Town. 19:15 With 24 seasonal episodes every year 19:17 and fresh content every week, 19:20 there's always a new adventure just on the horizon. 19:26 - Jesse Ventura was one of the more interesting characters 19:29 to enter the world of American politics, 19:31 and some of the things he said when he was in office. 19:34 Well, they raised a lot of eyebrows. 19:37 From promoting conspiracy theories, alien stuff 19:40 about Area 51 to, well, a comment he made in Playboy in 1999 19:46 when he said, "Organized religion is a sham and a crutch 19:49 "for weak-minded people who need strength in numbers." 19:53 Now, unfortunately, it's not an uncommon sentiment. 19:56 From the very first days of Christianity, 19:58 people have looked down on this faith as a system, frankly, 20:02 built for losers. 20:03 And from the perspective of success and prosperity, 20:06 I guess I can see why they come to that conclusion. 20:09 Genuinely good people often lead hard lives. 20:12 And unless you understand why they're willing to do that, 20:15 it can look foolish to an outsider, 20:17 especially when being just a little bit 20:19 unethical or ruthless 20:21 can apparently pay some pretty big dividends. 20:24 Ideas like self-sacrifice and self-denial 20:27 just don't make sense to people 20:29 who don't believe there's anything more to this life 20:31 than right here and right now. 20:34 So just before the break, 20:37 we were reading the 73rd Psalm, 20:39 where the author was honest enough to admit 20:41 that it can be very tempting to give up on virtue 20:44 in godliness, because well, 20:47 it looks like wickedness pays better. 20:49 Let's pick that up again now in verse 16. 20:52 He says, "When I thought to understand this, 20:55 "it was too painful for me, 20:57 "until I went into the sanctuary of God; 21:01 "then I understood their end." 21:05 The teachings and values of the Bible 21:07 require a degree of self-discipline. 21:11 Now, it's true. 21:12 You don't have to earn your salvation. 21:14 And God's the only one who puts any real effort 21:17 into your salvation, 21:19 but still, what this book promises 21:21 is not what most people would think of as a good life. 21:25 And I'll admit, there are times when trying to be godly 21:28 can be painful because a lot of the things 21:30 that other people might be willing to consider to get ahead 21:34 are no longer an option for you. 21:36 And anybody who tells you that they never have doubts 21:39 and they never question 21:40 why bad people seem to get good things 21:42 probably, well, they're not being entirely honest. 21:46 I mean, if I wanted to, I could cheat on my taxes 21:49 and keep just a little more of my money. 21:51 I doubt I'd get caught. 21:53 I could lie my way through a job interview 21:56 to get a better position. 21:57 I could step on people to rise to the top. 22:00 And there are people who succeed in doing those things, 22:03 which is precisely why they do them. 22:06 But the moment you step into the sanctuary of God, 22:09 where you learn to see the world from God's perspective, 22:13 that's when the game changes. 22:16 Now, I wish I had more time 22:17 because there's a lot to think about 22:19 when you study this sanctuary that Asaph refers to. 22:23 There's so much, in fact, 22:24 we could probably have a mini series about it, 22:26 but let me hone in on just one particular detail. 22:30 The Sanctuary was the place where God's people 22:32 brought their sacrifices. 22:34 And those sacrifices were symbols pointing forward 22:36 to the moment when Messiah would appear 22:39 and give his life to redeem them. 22:42 In other words, the lambs in the sanctuary 22:44 were pointing forward to the lamb of God. 22:47 So what you have in the Sanctuary 22:49 is the story of God himself taking on human flesh 22:52 and living the hardest possible existence 22:55 right here among us. 22:57 The author of the Book of Hebrews tells us 23:00 that Jesus of Nazareth experienced all the same pain 23:03 that we experience and worse, 23:07 which means that God actually gets what it means to live 23:10 an authentic human life. 23:13 Now, I gotta take one last quick break, so hang in there. 23:15 This is a big thought. 23:17 I'll be right back. 23:20 [bright music] 23:21 - [Announcer] Are you searching for answers 23:22 to life's toughest questions, 23:24 like where is God when we suffer? 23:26 Can I find real happiness? 23:28 Or is there any hope for our chaotic world? 23:31 The Discover Bible Guides 23:33 will help you find the answers you're looking for. 23:35 Visit us at biblestudies.com 23:38 or give us a call at 888-456-7933 23:43 for your free Discover Bible Guides. 23:45 Study online on our secure website, 23:49 or have the free guides mailed right to your home. 23:51 There is never a cost or obligation. 23:54 The Discover Bible Guides are our free gift to you. 23:57 Find answers in guides like 23:58 "Does My life Really Matter to God?" 24:01 And "A Second Chance at Life." 24:03 You'll find answers to the things that matter most to you 24:05 in each of the 26 Discover Bible Guides. 24:08 Visit biblestudies.com 24:10 and begin your journey today to discover answers 24:13 to life's deepest questions. 24:16 [bright music] 24:21 - [Announcer] Life can throw a lot at us. 24:24 Sometimes we don't have all the answers. 24:27 But that's where the Bible comes in. 24:30 It's our guide to a more fulfilling life. 24:33 Here at the "Voice of Prophecy," 24:34 We've created the Discover Bible Guides 24:36 to be your guide to the Bible. 24:38 They're designed to be simple, easy to use, 24:40 and provide answers to many of life's toughest questions. 24:43 And they're absolutely free. 24:45 So jump online now 24:47 or give us a call and start your journey of discovery. 24:52 - You know, the stuff Jesus taught his disciples 24:54 completely flies in the face 24:56 that a lot of prosperity preachers are preaching 24:58 in the 21st century. 25:00 What they're teaching is nonsense 25:01 compared to what Jesus says. 25:03 He tells his disciples, look, 25:05 if you're gonna wanna follow me, 25:07 that means picking up a cross. 25:10 And people are gonna hate you. 25:12 They're gonna persecute you. 25:14 They're even gonna want you dead. 25:16 So you've got to wonder why in the world 25:17 would anybody want to do that? 25:20 Well, that's because of where it goes. 25:22 Look, it is absolutely easier 25:24 to just drift with the current, take the easy road. 25:28 But what the Bible suggests 25:30 is that it's better to swim against the current 25:33 and get back to the source of the river. 25:35 That's where you find an authentic human life. 25:38 And I can tell you that some days going upstream, 25:40 sure, it's exhausting. 25:41 It's easy to think why bother? 25:44 Especially in a world where most people 25:46 expect the rewards right now. 25:49 Think about this. 25:50 Most of our demands are met pretty much instantaneously. 25:54 You can go on your laptop shop with a couple of clicks 25:56 and the package is at your door as fast as tomorrow morning. 26:00 We have 24-hour pharmacies. 26:02 You can get your prescription filled 26:03 at three in the morning. 26:05 You don't have to wait for 8:00 a.m. 26:06 We amuse ourselves by clicking on any movie we want 26:09 and it starts playing right now. 26:12 It's market-driven. 26:15 But the Bible isn't exactly market-driven, 26:18 at least not in the classical sense. 26:20 It doesn't strictly adhere to the supply and demand curves 26:23 that proved so useful to our economists. 26:26 And that's because God plays the really long game. 26:30 He's given us free will, and there are sinners to save. 26:34 And he places the same premium on your neighbors redemption 26:38 that he places on yours. 26:40 And God knows where the effortless current of depravity 26:44 is ultimately going to take people. 26:46 It's taking them to a waterfall just around the corner, 26:50 and it's gonna cost them everything. 26:53 And so what God does is asks us to be patient. 26:56 You and I live as visitors in a world 26:58 that frankly has gone off the rails 27:00 and it's getting worse by the day. 27:02 This is a tough place to live 27:04 a good and virtuous and godly life. 27:08 But I gotta tell you, the long game is worth it. 27:12 And the Bible says that Jesus was willing 27:15 to suffer the agonizing humiliation of the cross 27:18 for the joy that was set before him. 27:22 You know what that joy was. 27:24 That joy was you. 27:26 And right now, God is not asking you 27:28 to do anything he hasn't done. 27:30 And I think you're gonna find that playing the long game 27:33 is gonna make the passing pain of this existence 27:36 seem like a really, really small deal. 27:40 Let me tell you this. 27:42 There is real justice coming 27:45 and it'll be worth waiting for. 27:47 Thanks for joining me. 27:48 I'm Shawn Boonstra. 27:49 This has been "Authentic." 27:51 [soft music] |
Revised 2021-06-17