You're listening to audio from Faith Church, located on the North Side Of Indianapolis. If you'd like to check out more information about our church and ministry, you can find us at faithchurchindy.com. Now, here's the teaching. Well, what a text to be given. You never know what might come out of a campfire, or what you might find in your garage, or what surprise might scurry across your living room floor, or what you might get into when you visit a friend.

Just last April 16, I visited Rich and Yvonne Jones in their home, And I arrived to a, rather interesting scenario. They were trying to herd a chipmunk toward the open door. It is somehow gotten into their house, and so I immediately got involved in the process. My job was to block the area between their living room and their family room, which I failed miserably as the little creature got past me and so we were trying to move him out the front door instead of the back door. But he was too smart for us, at least too smart for me, so we finally had to give up for a while.

We visited. I left with total mission failure. And, we just didn't cover chasing the chipmunks in seminary. I missed that that class. But then I got a text at 04:07PM that after I left, they successfully encouraged the little creature to, bid farewell to his natural habitat out the back door.

Well, that's only the beginning. It wasn't long after that that Linda found a live bath under the recycle bin in our garage. And then just a couple of weeks ago, we opened the garage door to go somewhere and there was a chipmunk or a ground squirrel, I don't know the difference, that was waiting to be invited in. We opened the door, that was the invitation, it came in and so we're suddenly looking for this creature all over our garage. Well, not hard to hide in my garage.

My guess is some of you have the same problem. So we locked the door between garage and house, forbade anyone use it. The next day, I cleaned out the garage. Everything went out into the driveway. But just as I was getting started, we very sadly found the little creature dead on the garage floor.

So now, the apostle Paul just off a shipwreck is trying to keep a fire going and a snake comes out of the warmth of that new fire and fastens on his hands. Well, we finally come to the last chapter in this book of the Bible called the Acts of the Apostles, an account of the history of the early church, the earliest history of the church. And we've had three sermons on Acts 27, very challenging. Paul's on a ship to Rome, actually two successive ships, lengthy account of a Mediterranean storm in which in the middle of it, they came to the conclusion that all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. They're doomed.

But in God's grace and by God's promise, those shipwrecked Paul and all 276 persons on board the ship, Some swimming, some others others catching a ride on a broken beam from the broken up ship, and they all miraculously came safely to land. They didn't know where, but it turned out it was Malta, 58 miles south of Sicily, 18 miles long, eight, eight miles wide. But it's, you know, it's always a little scary, I suppose. I don't have experience with shipwrecks on strange islands, but a little scary coming to a new place and, you're wondering if you're going to be welcomed or be killed. But look at verse two.

The Maltese natives welcomed them with unusual kindness. Now, unusual has the root meaning of, to hit the mark. It's the idea of effectiveness. It wasn't just a warm glad you're here, welcome. It was you've got needs, we're glad to try and help meet those needs.

Kindness is a very interesting word. It's not the same as found in the fruit of the spirit, kindness. So there's certainly an overlap in meaning, but you've heard of Philadelphia. You know what Philadelphia means. Tell me.

What's Philadelphia mean? Brotherly love. Combining the words love and brother. This word is philanthropia. What do you think that means?

Love of humanity. Anthropos, man. We get philanthropy and philanthropists from it, usually related to great wealth being given away for the good of others. This word is found only two times in the entire bible. This is one, the other one is Titus three verse four.

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our savior appeared, he saved us not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our savior. We'll come to that text again at the end as we go into communion. But these islanders practiced philanthropia. They received these strangers, sailors, soldiers. I'm not sure how identifiable they were after going through the storm and the breakup of the ship and somehow managing to get on shore.

But soldiers, sailors, some of them prisoners, who knows what kind of prisoners. In fact, the soldiers had suggested they kill all the prisoners before the the shipwreck happened. But, Paul kept that from happening. And, all these people, 276 were welcomed by these lovers of humanity, by these philanthropes, meeting their practical needs to dry off, to warm up. And just as we think, we can finally rest, take a little break from all this action of the storm and the shipwreck when another act of the drama starts.

Paul's just helping to gather wood. There's another lesson there that we won't develop. He lays his contribution of sticks on the fire that they've gotten started and immediately a snake comes out of the fire and fastens onto his hand. Now these people, these philanthropes, they are lovers of man noted for unusual kindness, but they aren't stupid. They know what this means that they have just seen.

Verse four, when the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, no doubt this man is a murderer. Though he's escaped from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live. Now notice in the ESV at least, the word justice is not a common noun. It's a proper noun. It is capitalized, understood by most translations by the capital j in the ESV, but explicitly in the New International Version, the goddess Justice.

And I think that's right. Dike in the part, the pantheon of the Greek gods and goddesses is the favorite daughter of Zeus and Themis. Themis herself was the goddess of justice, but also divine order, law, and custom. And she was the mother of Eunomia, law, Dike, justice, Irene, peace, and others. Dike supposedly her job was to roam the world and immediately report back to Zeus all the unrighteous deeds that she witnessed so that the people would have to pay for their crimes.

This is justice. And they might well have known another example in Greek literature about a shipwreck sailor who escapes a storm at sea only to be bitten by a viper and die. So from their perspective, this wasn't a stretch at all, just just logical. And in fact, the bible gives credence to it with an example in Amos chapter five. Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord.

Why would you have the day of the Lord? It is darkness and not light, as if a man fled from a lion and a bear met him. Or he went into the house and lead his hand against the wall and a serpent bit him. You escaped the danger, but because you're guilty, there's going to be another worse danger that's going to bring justice to you, is the idea. But in this case, it didn't go as expected.

Verse six, Paul shook the creature off his hand. The islanders though watched with bated breath. It takes a little while for the poison to work through the system and kill you, and so they expected it at any moment to fall down dead. But they waited and they waited and it didn't happen. And so they changed their minds and decided he was not a criminal, but a god.

You remember the back and I think it's acts 14 when they decided to worship Paul and Timothy as Zeus and Hermes? And they called them gods because of a miracle that had been performed, but it works the other direction that time. They denied being gods and so they decided to kill him. And they stoned Paul and left him as if he were dead. So what do we do with this?

Going through the book of Acts requires us to know the difference between descriptive bible texts and prescriptive bible texts. Do you understand the difference? One is reporting something that happened factually. The other is saying you need to do this. There's something you need to do about it.

Well, there's nothing in this passage that tells us what to do or how to live or even any specific truths about God. That's been a major challenge in recent weeks. Great stories here in the last part of acts, but what is there to learn? How does that relate to us? Well, we've emphasized in chapter 27, the sovereignty of God over all things and God's blessing.

We've emphasized that we are not in control but we can trust the one who is in control And that is certainly true here in the storm and shipwreck accounts. God is worthy to be praised. That is still true. But I'm drawn in this short account to two issues. Both related to human nature as those made in the image of God that apply to all people, all of us.

Whether theists or agnostics or atheists or pagans or pantheists, Jew, Gentile, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, whoever you are, whatever your background, as divine image bearers, all people all people, even though all of us are tragically distorted by sin, yet still reflecting in some sense the character of God, our creator. So there's two things I want to just speak on briefly in our our limited time this morning about the Maltans or Maltese people that I think is helpful for us. Number one, they reflect the character of God in their kindness toward each other. Kindness is one of the huge major attributes of God. And there is a sense in which that is passed on to all people even though it's tragically distorted.

Secondly, they reflect the character of God in their sense of justice, that there is such a thing as right and wrong, and that justice will have the last word. They believe that, and so do I. So just a few thoughts on application on each category. First, the kindness, then usual kindness of the islanders, the on target philanthropia, the practical love of humanity. Now, it's clear here, isn't it?

These people are not Christians. They had not heard the gospel. Now, they were there for, like, what says three months, I believe. So I'm sure they heard the gospel before Paul got on the next ship to go to Rome. But at this point, they didn't know the gospel.

They weren't familiar with these things. And yet it still says they received the shipwreck victims with this unusual kindness reflecting not faith in Jesus Christ, which they didn't have, but reflecting their common humanity as fellow image bearers of God. Going back to Genesis one twenty six and twenty seven, the creation account. Let us God said, let us make man in our image after our likeness. So God created man in his own image.

In the image of God he created him, male and female he created them. That's where we all have our roots as image bearers of God. Now, yes, that was tragically marred by the entrance of sin into humanity as explained in Genesis chapter three, the next chapter. But that image of God was not eradicated in humanity. Paul explained in Athens, in him, god, we live and move and have our being.

Now that means doesn't just mean that we exist because god made it possible for us to live. That's true, of course, but it's more than that. It's that in some sense, our being means that we bear in some sense the likeness of God. And this is true of all people. As believers in and followers of Jesus Christ and dwelt by the spirit, then the question is, shouldn't this unusual kindness, this philanthropia be even more evident in us.

We have the commands of Jesus, the two greatest commands from Deuteronomy six and Leviticus 19 telling us above all to love God with all our being, all our soul, mind, spirit, soul, mind, strength. Actually, it's different lists in the Old Testament, New Testament, combining just the wholeness of who we are. And then telling us secondly, the great second greatest command to love your neighbor as yourself. And yet, in the political climate of The United States today, what is the stereotypical image of evangelicals as portrayed very publicly? Judgmental, unkind, haters, uncaring for the poor.

Now like you, I don't think that's fair. I get defensive about that caricature. And part is because I know you and we are evangelicals. At our core, we believe Jesus Christ is Lord, that he is our savior, that our hope is in him. Scripture is true, can be trusted.

And as evangelicals, I know that you not only believe those things, many of you, most of you, but you are kind and loving and caring. And that many of you are deeply invested at great personal sacrifice to helping the immigrant and the poor and other needs around you. Such that it puts me to shame. I've seen that that this past week. Very up close, the great work that you're doing.

But is that accusation, rather than just being defensive about it, we have to ask, is that accusation in some ways deserved, Certainly by some who are wearing the evangelical badge, which I sense that there's a lot wearing that badge today that probably don't understand what an evangelical is. But we have to admit we have a problem. Now, I care deeply about truth, sound robust theology, and I hope you'll be praying for our search team that God will guide them to a leader who will, bring that clearly and boldly to us in the wonderful tradition, sixty one year tradition of Faith Church. But we also want to ask to pray for them that they'll find someone who will balance that and bring also with that the challenge to love our neighbors, be involved in our community, to make a difference around us. Just down the street from where we live in Carmel, we don't know these people well, but by name and reputation, wonderful, wonderful people, kind neighbors.

I've chatted with them briefly on a few occasions. They attend a well known, quite liberal church. So likely they would differ with me on quite a few issues, theologically, moral issues, etcetera. But there's a simple sign in the side window of their garage with the church web address underneath this statement, and it simply says the words of Jesus do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Do unto others as you would have them do it to you.

Another way of expressing the second commandment, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Now that statement doesn't include the gospel. That doesn't doesn't give all the important information we need to know and and embrace. My point is if we claim to be more correct on theological and moral issues, credibility demands that we not slack off or be below the liberal church or the Maltese Islanders or our pagan neighbors and love our neighbors as ourselves that we should lead the way in that as we reflect the fruit of the spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. So that's the first issue.

If pagan, polytheistic, multis islanders still reflect the something of the character of God and kindness toward others, then what possibly could be our excuse as those who are children of God through faith in Jesus Christ and dwelt by the Holy Spirit under divine commission to love the stranger, even our enemies? Now secondly, I see in these unbelieving pagan islanders that they have a sense of justice. Unbelievers, yet image bearers of God like us reflecting in some sense the character of God, yet they believed in practicing kindness toward their fellow humanity, and also they believed in justice. They reflect the character of God in their sense of justice. They believe that there is such a thing as right and wrong, and that justice ultimately has the last word.

And I believe that too. That's the trajectory of the Bible that justice has the last word because God has the last word. Strangely, this core belief was revealed in their conclusions about Paul's snake bite. He must be a murderer. He lived through the storm.

They didn't know that he actually was a murderer before he was a Christian and led his actions led to the death, of many Christians before he came to Christ. But that's really not the issue here. They said, he must be a murderer. He must be on the run. He lived through the storm and the shipwreck, but just as is now caught up with him with this viper and he will die.

Now, we know that they were wrong about that. It wasn't long before the evidence was clear that it did not support their conclusions, But what they were right about is the implication that justice will be done for those who are murderers, for all wrongdoers. That everyone will have to face justice. Whether religious or not, whatever your religion or category of non belief in God, there is a general consensus in the world that justice is important, that good should be commended and rewarded, and evil should be condemned and penalized. In fact, my friends, that's the purpose of civil government.

God gave us the gift of civil government. We count on that every day in our city, in our area, in our country. It's God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, this is Paul writing in Romans 13. If you do wrong, be afraid for he does not bear the sword in vain, the sword of justice.

For he, is the servant of God and avenger who carries out God's wrath on the evildoer, Romans 13. So justice and righteousness is a huge theme in the bible. Our friend Chet Wood has been studying it for decades and teaching on it here the last number of years. I have five minutes, so we'll just barely touch on it. And maybe I'll say a few more things and cut for time that'll be out in a few days.

But key texts include hundreds of passages in the law, the prophets, the Psalms, the gospels, Micah five six, maybe the one of the most familiar. He's told you, oh, man, what is good? What does the lord require of you but to do justice? To love kindness and to walk humbly with your God. Notice justice and kindness are both included here that are in our primary text.

Amos five twenty four, but let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream. The words of Jesus, Luke eleven forty two to religious people, woe to you Pharisees for you neglect justice and the love of God. Actually, it's bringing those same two issues together again, justice and and love. And kindness is part of the definition of love. Many texts don't use the word justice, but that's what it's about.

For example, Galatians six seven and eight. I still remember this as a little kid being very humbled by the pastor's preaching on this very strongly. Don't be deceived. God is not mocked. Whatever one sows, that will he also reap For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the spirit will from the spirit reap eternal life.

That's about justice. It's about consequences. You do this, you can expect this to happen. Interesting that this theme comes up as I'm preparing this going into the July 4 and this weekend. America's founding documents repeatedly speak of justice.

And I said, look at all the government systems of the world. I I think that indeed God gave us a a a wonderful founding documents that include this this theme. The Declaration of Independence lists 27 examples of injustices, grievances against George the third and the British government with a summation near the end, they too have been deaf to the voice of justice. US constitution ratified with preamble stating among other things the commitment to establish justice. They understood a role of government is to maintain establish justice.

Pledge of allegiance to the flag speaks of liberty and justice for all. So I'm truly thankful to be part of a nation that that values justice. We we long for a just society and must continually work toward that end. But we have to admit that America's promise of justice is sometimes much stronger than its enactment, than its development. And then we have many troubling examples of injustice from the beginning to the present time, when like England, we have been deaf to the voice of justice.

Martin Luther King Junior in his classic letter from a Birmingham jail wrote justice too long delayed is justice denied. He also acknowledged, which a little bit counters that, that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. And so we have to realize that in some sense, no. There there will not be justice immediately. That that ultimate justice comes from the throne of God when everyone will give an account of themselves to God.

We don't get complete justice in this life and you ought to say praise God we don't. Because it's not just murderers, it's not just people who've committed criminal acts, but it's your very thoughts and words for which we're held accountable to God. We need to be thankful that we don't get what we deserve. On the other hand, we should work for justice even as we pray the words of the Lord's prayer, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. To work to that end where there's perfect justice.

Well, there's much more to be said, and, I'll try to say a little more uncut for time that will come out later this week. But let me let me close with this as we go into communion this morning, the Lord's supper. I introduced a new word to you today. I hope you enjoy it, philanthropia. Let's say that, philanthropia.

Philanthropia, beautiful word. It was seen in pagan islanders. It is seen in fulfillment and fully orbed development in the God of the universe as he sent Christ to be our savior. The Maltese Islanders at a targeted philanthropia toward the shipwrecked survivors. But this targeted kindness of God to all sinners in Titus three four, here's the way it says, but when the goodness and philanthropia, loving kindness of God our savior appeared, he saved us.

Not because it works which we've done. There's no basis for salvation in those works, thoughts, attitudes, words, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our savior. This was accomplished. Justice was fulfilled on the cross as my sin and yours was put on Jesus and he accepted the punishment that is due us. And that's why we not need not fear as we move forward if we have faith in Jesus Christ that there's no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

The justice do us, the punishment for our sin is taken by Christ. That we might be justly forgiven, not injustice, but justice through the cross of Jesus.