Some people in their personality have this great sense of justice, right and wrong, but it actually comes from the nature of God. Look what it says in Psalm 89, Verse 14: Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face. If you look at it in King James version it says: justice and judgement are the habitations of your throne. The words there are 'justice' and 'judgement', so everything needs a foundation to uphold it, so there are four foundations uphold the throne of God - or putting it another way, God's kingdom is established on four key pillars. Here's what they are. The first one is justice; the second one is judgement; third one is mercy; fourth one is truth. So when you want to extend the kingdom of God in your personal life or in any part of your world, you've got to remember it's built on four foundations. It's built on justice, judgement, mercy, truth, so these are foundational to the kingdom of God.
Not only that, it tells us in Hebrews 6, it says about the doctrines of Christ, the foundational doctrines of Christ. It says: we want to go on to maturity, and we will go on to maturity if God permits us, so in other words it's impossible for you to mature as a believer, unless God permits you to mature. He won't permit you to mature unless certain foundations are laid properly in your life. Those foundations are found in Hebrews 6; repentance from dead works, faith towards God, the doctrine of baptisms and laying on of hands, resurrection from the dead - now get this one - eternal judgements.[See series: Foundational Principles] So judgements and understanding about judgement is a foundation in the life of a believer. You can never mature if it's not properly laid in your life, so I can't teach all of that today, but I want to give you an insight to God being a judge and some aspects of what it means, how it would apply to our life.
So this is foundational. It's not some new big revelation. This is actually quite foundational for a believer, and people don't like to hear terms like God is a judge or God judges, unless it's in terms of accusing the church, or accusing God in some way. But God's kingdom is clearly established on justice, what is right; judgement, seeing what is right and putting it right; and mercy, extending mercy to people; and on truth, so that's how God builds His kingdom. Now let's have a look. So we see the kingdom is established that way, so when the Bible talks about justice, the kingdom is established on justice, that word is the word tzedakah, means to be right or to be just or fair. Also the word can be interpreted generosity and compassion to those who are poor, so one of the pillars of the kingdom of God is what is right, justice, and showing generosity to people who are troubled or in difficulties of some kind. That is a pillar of God's kingdom, to show generosity to people who are poor. Why? Because that's right in God's eyes.
So when we help people, widows, orphans, people who are afflicted, when we are involved in social justice, we are doing what is right in the kingdom of God. So generosity to the poor is one of the foundations in the kingdom of God, because it is what God calls justice. It is justice to do that. The second word there is judgement. The word judgement means - it's a word to deliver someone out of a situation, so the Book of Judges who delivered people out of oppression; it means to rule over, the judges ruled over Israel, and it also means to sit and to make a decision as a third party. So two people are in trouble, and the third party sits, listens to both sides, and makes a decision what is right and gives direction what to do, then sees it takes place. So that's what it means when it says judge. It's not all about punishing. It's about seeing to the root of issues, and making things right. That can include that people are punished, or have consequences for their behaviour, but in essence it's looking right into the root of something, and making a decision: this is what is right, and this is what will happen. Get the idea?