Ask Pastor Mike Fabarez

Speaker 1

And welcome to Focal Point. Today we'll hear Mike Fabarez answer a listener's question about seeking justice through the court system. Can loving Christians ever insist on their legal rights? Hear the scriptural guidelines for lawsuits on this edition of Ask Pastor Mike. I'm Dave Drouey. Glad you could join us today for Focal Point.

Well, have you ever had a question that you couldn't seem to get out of your mind? The longer those nagging questions go unanswered, the bigger they become. Well, that's why we regularly get together with Mike Fabarez to gain some clarity on these topics.

And today we're joined by executive director Jay Worton for this time of Q and A. So let's join them inside the pastor's study for this edition of Ask Pastor Mike.

Speaker 2

Well, thanks, Dave. Pastor Mike, one of our listeners wrote to us and asked, what does the Bible have to say about lawsuits? I mean, is there ever a time that a Christian can engage in a lawsuit or should engage in a lawsuit?

Speaker 3

Yeah, of course. I mean, you got to even look at the word for a second. A lawsuit has to do with the law. And God certainly is pro-law, thinking about the laws of the land. There are certain laws that you can't steal things from my house, and if you do, you may end up in court testifying against someone who stole things. I mean, God is a God of justice. God's laws are things that are supposed to, as Romans 13 says, punish the evildoer and reward the good person. So laws are there insofar as they reflect God's righteousness. They're there to establish order and to maintain order, even with the threat of the sword, as it says in Romans 13.

So in general, you want to speak generally, yes. There are certainly times that Christians are going to be involved in lawsuits because the law is a good thing. And when I say the law, I'm not talking about the Torah of the Old Testament. I'm talking about the laws of the land that reflect civil behavior and criminal behavior and the penal codes that tell us what the punishment should be for certain behaviors. If we're talking about the Old Testament, we see a lot of that as they come out of Egypt and they need a law code. God provides them a law code and says when there's a dispute about this, here's what you do: you return that, you add 1/5, and you make restitution for that. The laws are there because they're important, and we're going to need them in a fallen world.

So lawsuits, yeah. What everyone thinks of when they hear that is 1 Corinthians chapter 6, where you've got people that have grievances with one another. If you even look carefully through that passage, they seem to be, as he calls it at one point, trivial cases. You've got people with really silly, trivial civil complaints against one another. Instead of saying you shouldn't seek resolution and try to get wholeness and all the rest that you'd look at in a court of law, he says you should be having other Christians mediate the dispute. Why are you going before non-Christians with these silly matters? If you need to get this resolved, great, you should be doing that in the church.

And then he says, and if you can't do that, why not rather be wronged? What issues are we talking about here? We're not talking about someone beating up your wife at the mall. We're clearly dealing with the silly things that the Corinthians were already being judged for by the Apostle Paul in that letter. So there's a big difference between 1 Corinthians 6 and most of the things that I think most reasonable Christians would say, I really need to call on the government that's there to punish evildoers to deal with this issue.

So of course, there's a balance there. It takes discernment to know, is this worth calling on the government and the laws of the land to deal with, or would I not just rather walk away because of the conflict it's going to bring? And if it's between Christians, hey, let's look at this. Is there another way to settle this besides, as Paul said, going before non-Christians to try to solve our civil disputes?

Speaker 2

How would a Christian or two Christians who are having a dispute and they didn't want to take it to court, where should they go? Who should they go to? How do they resolve that?

Speaker 3

Well, I mean, the passage says you should be able to take the person of least consequence in the church. As long as he's a Christian and knows God's word, he should be able to settle the disputes between you. And again, we're talking about the context of First Corinthians 6, which seems to be not the criminal issues, but some of the silly things that they were accusing each other of. He said, you know, a small group leader in cubbies at Awana or something should be able to say, well, this is right and that's wrong, and I don't mean to demean the cubby leaders in Awana. But I'm just saying you shouldn't need to even bother a staff member or a pastor for that.

Now, that may be a bit hyperbolus because some of the issues are big issues and they're complicated. And so you may need a pastor, you may need someone who knows God's word. And even if it goes beyond that, you could look at Christian organizations that do mediation or binding arbitration. You can find those groups. If it's something that's big and greed has gotten involved and there's money involved or whatever, fine.

I think the first step is any other Christian who knows God's word, somebody on our staff, at our church, some pastor that can help us sort through this biblically and just solve this for us, or if you have to, some Christian mediation organization or some arbitrator who can go out there and solve the matter before we go dragging each other to court.

Now, again, I'm not saying that if someone has come and vandalized your house or something, it could be that there's an issue that needs to be taken to court because that's the only way to make this situation right.

Speaker 2

Obviously, that's a difficult judgment call for maybe some people to make. When is that so far that I've got to go seek a court?

Speaker 3

Well, I address that. Yeah, I think we are far too thin-skinned in our day. And again, I'm making a generalization right now. But most people, they get their feelings hurt and they want to sue somebody. And so we have to be careful. We burn ourselves with our coffee and we want to sue McDonald's or whatever. We have to really get things in perspective. We've kind of got a pampered society right now, and everyone knows that some corporation has money, and I want them to pay because I was inconvenienced or I tripped or I got hurt. We got to be careful with that.

I got to think, and this is how I like to think, that I'm going to stand before God one day and everything that I made issue with in someone's life and said, whatever, this is wrong or I did go and sue them, for instance, or tried to take them to court, I'm going to have to answer to God. He knows my heart and my life. And some people that you see that are so sensitive that at any turn they're trying to make someone pay for their problem. I'm just thinking that's when I do think 1 Corinthians 6 should be employed in our thinking.

Why not rather be wrong? You look silly. We don't need to milk everybody for every little thing that happens. But there are people that are past all that, and they need to be encouraged. That 1 Corinthians 6 does not in any way prohibit them from seeking the government to do their job. If there is something that is a serious matter that needs to be addressed in a court of law, and the...

Speaker 2

Things that we can settle on our own, we settle on our own.

Speaker 3

Absolutely. And that ought to be the case. Right.

And how often you watch Christians fighting over every last penny of who owes what at a restaurant, splitting the check. I mean, we should work to try to be, as best we can, magnanimous, forgiving, gracious, merciful, and just try to.

If we can solve a problem, solve it. And just because something cost me money because someone was careless, does that mean I need to go and be made whole in court? No, it really doesn't.

Speaker 4

So.

Speaker 3

And again, this doesn't apply in every situation because there could be some widow on a fixed income who gets taken advantage of by some rich corporation or something. I get that there needs to be a lawyer to step in and help someone make that right.

But even before we call a lawyer, you should be trying to call a pastor first or a Christian at your church.

Speaker 2

There's a council on that.

Speaker 3

Because there may be a situation that it can be done with a handshake. Think of how often neighbors, if they just talk to each other, could solve a problem without calling the police. Right, right. But the point is, I just think sometimes we're far too sensitive and I'd much rather just say, let it go.

I'm sure I've been annoying, you know, in my house or whatever. I don't need to deal with my neighbors or enforce every little right that I have. Can we just get along and live with each other without being so quick to assert our rights? And I do think that's the flavor of 1 Corinthians 6.

But that does not mean, as you pose the question, what did the Bible say about lawsuits? Can I be a Christian in a lawsuit? Of course, given the situation, and we've all got to answer to God one day about what we did engage in in court.

Speaker 2

Well, thank you, Pastor Mike. We're going to continue this conversation with a message you gave on this very subject called you are more capable than you think.

Speaker 4

The monks in a monastery high up in the mountains maintained a rigid vow of silence. They could only break that vow once a year on Christmas by one monk for one sentence. One Christmas, Brother Thomas had his turn to speak, and he stood up and he said, "I love the delightful mashed potatoes that we have with the Christmas roast each year." And then he sat down, and 365 days of silence ensued from that point on.

The next year, Brother John had his turn, and he stood up at the Christmas table and he said, "I think the mashed potatoes are lumpy. I despise them." And he sat down. Twelve months of silence ensued. The following year, Brother Joe had his turn, and he stood up at the Christmas table and he said, "I am absolutely fed up with this constant bickering. I suppose if that were the extent of your quarrels and conflicts, we'd all be in pretty good shape. But I would venture to say that most of you have had more than two sentences of conflict in the last three years. And that being the case, and with all the trouble that our conflicts bring, it's important that we look to God to try and give us the tools to solve the interpersonal conflicts that seem to beset our daily lives."

Quarrels and conflicts come with a big price tag. There's a lot at stake. Our testimony is maligned. When our life is beset by these kinds of things, not only is it unpleasant, but our priorities, even professed priorities and values, are in conflict. When people see our lives beset with quarrels and conflicts, and most importantly, God's very character, his reputation in this world is impinged when we are so busy fighting and debating and arguing with each other.

In First Corinthians, chapter 6, verses 1 through 7, we saw that Paul tried to get our conflicts in perspective. The kinds of things that we're arguing about, he says, look against the backdrop of eternity and in light of our relationships, really, they're not such a big deal. Is it really worth arguing about? As Paul tries to get these folks to see that not only are the issues smaller than you think, but the right perspective we ought to bring to our conflicts is that we really are more capable of solving these things than we might think.

Take a look at the passage. Read it together with me. First Corinthians, chapter 6. Follow along as Scripture says in verse 1, "If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints?" That ought to be your priority, he says. "Don't you know, and here's his logic, that the saints will judge the world? Don't you remember your future here? And if you're to judge the world, then aren't you competent to judge trivial cases? Don't you know that we'll judge angels? How much more the things of this life?"

Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, things of earth, life stuff, then appoint judges, even men of little account in the church. "I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers, but instead one brother goes to law against another? And this of all things before unbelieving people." Paul takes these folks and he says, "Listen, you've got to remember a few things about who you are."

The first thing he says is look at your future; look at where you're going. Look again at verses 2 and 3. He takes their focus and he says, "I want you to look beyond the horizon of this life and to recognize that you're going to have some really big responsibilities." Read them again. "You will judge the world," it says, "and you will judge angels." Now, I venture to say most of us haven't thought too much about those kinds of responsibilities as it relates to the afterlife. Maybe your idea is still kind of stuck in the third-grade flannel graph story that we're going to go and float around on cotton ball clouds and play hymns on our harp. But that's not the way the Bible presents it.

But let's just get the directive and then try and understand why that would affect our understanding of current conflicts. Let's write it down this way: Number one, you need to consider your future responsibilities. The responsibilities, as spelled out in this text, are summarized with these phrases: "You will judge the world" and "you will judge angels." The logic is if you can deal with that, if that's your future, then this stuff ought to be a slam dunk. I mean, this ought to be no problem, no sweat to deal with the marital conflict, no sweat to deal with the conflict in the church, no really big deal to deal with the conflicts even with the non-Christian neighbors or the workplace we work in. Because really, you guys are destined for really big issues, big leadership issues.

Turn with me, if you would, to the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 19. In Matthew, chapter 19, there's a story about the rich young ruler. As you're turning there, you might recall that story. As we note this answer that Jesus gives to Peter when they watch this guy kind of crash and burn at the moment of truth, he's either going to give up his love for his material things and enthrone Christ as his new leader and Lord, or he's going to ditch it. He ends up ditching it. Peter says, "Hey, what about us?" Look down at that portion of the dialogue, verse 27. Peter says, "Well, what about us? We've left everything to follow you. What then will there be for us?"

And Jesus says, straightforward, "I tell you the truth. At the renewal of all things." What's that? Well, that's when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne. He says, "You who have followed me will also sit on 12 thrones, judging." There's our word. Judging the 12 tribes of Israel. Judging is not just sitting on a bench in an Orange County courtroom. It's the idea of leadership, solving problems, solving disputes, administrating. And he says, "You guys," he's talking in a historic setting to the 12 apostles, "you who have followed here, you 12 are going to be seated in the top-ranking positions in the government of the kingdom."

And that's going to be your role. You're going to be leaders. There you will be judging on thrones of authority, the 12 tribes of Israel. Keep your finger in Matthew, please, and turn back to the book of Daniel, chapter 7. The idea of the people of God with relegated authority leading in a place where the promises of God are now being fulfilled, that's nothing new. God has been talking about that from the beginning. And here's what he says to Daniel, years and years and years before Christ came. He says in verse 26, as he kind of lays out this future situation where the governments of the world become so corrupt and there's one leader, and he sees evil and he's godless and he's leading this thing.

A fair reading of the Old Testament does not give us the fulfillment of these things in 70 AD. These are issues yet to come. And he says this: "When the final court sits," in verse 26, "the power of this leader will be taken away and completely destroyed forever." Now note this very carefully. The world's leadership, the godless leadership, is destroyed. Then what happens? Well, then it says in verse 27, "The sovereignty and the power and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints." Who's that? The people of the Most High. And his kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom. And all the rulers, that's the people of the Most High, they're rulers. They'll all worship and obey him.

See, there is a promise in the Old Testament that has been looked forward to by all the prophets. It's yet to be fulfilled when all the promises of Israel for that nation will be fulfilled, and it will be surrounded by nations. The people that have followed the Most High God in this last period of time will be ushered into that place as leaders. And he says it to the disciples, "You guys, you're going to be at the top of the heap. You will be leaders there, judging the 12 tribes of Israel. You'll be in charge; you'll be solving problems; you'll be administrating; you'll be taking care of business in the kingdom of God." And he says, "That's what I've always promised. I promise that's what's going to happen. The sovereignty, the power, and the greatness of the kingdoms of earth will be handed to you guys."

Back to Matthew. Still got your finger there. Turn to Matthew, chapter 25. I want to just show you that the promise was not just limited to 12 guys. It's not just the 12, you know, former fishermen and tax collector guys who are now going to be these great government officials. And that's all there is. No, no, that word "saints," people of the Most High, is very expansive. It's not just 12 guys that are going to be leading many guys. Matter of fact, look at the recurring theme in the parables of Christ. Here's one. Matthew 25. Drop down to verse 21. Here's the punchline. If you're faithful, you'll hear from the Master, "Well done, good and faithful servant." That's great, but that's not where it stops. He says, "You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Come share your Master's happiness."

Now we think about Heaven. "Come share your Master's happiness." We think about, you know, hammocks and beaches and translucent bodies, hymns. But the idea here is, "I'm going to put you in charge of stuff. You will have responsibilities. You will be leaders." Okay, turn to the book of Luke, please. Luke, chapter 16. Lots of passages to consider as we think about and ponder our future responsibilities, which are not just limited to the 12 disciples. Jesus sat on grassy hillsides in Galilee and said this to several people, lots of people. "You're all going to be leaders here."

Luke, chapter 16, verse 10. Here's a general proverbial summary of this parable. "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much. Whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much." And we know that in human experiences with employees or what have you. But he turns it into some picture of the future, something beyond the threshold of this life. And he says in verse 11, "So if you have not been trustworthy with handling worldly wealth, see, who will put you in charge or will trust you with true riches?" Remember the dichotomy in the Sermon on the Mount? Here you got riches and moths and thieves and rust can all mess it up. But there, no, listen, you're going to get that stuff and you're going to enjoy that stuff if you're faithful with this stuff.

And the more you're faithful here, or trustworthy here, the more true wealth you can be entrusted with. Verse 12: "If you've not been trustworthy with someone else's property down there on earth where nothing lasts and everything is temporal, see, then who's going to give you property of your own?" Who's going to put you in a place where you really have real responsibilities? Okay, hold that thought, but let's expand a little bit more. Luke, chapter 19. Again, Jesus tells a similar parable about this denomination of currency called the mina. He passes out the mina in this parable and he sees who's going to be faithful with it.

Well, when it's all done, again, a similar punchline. Verse 17. Jesus says to the guy who does a good job, he's a faithful servant. Look at Luke 19, verse 17. He says, "Well done, my good servant. Did a great job. Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter." Which again, may seem like a big matter to us because we're surrounded by the temporal things of life. Now look what he says, underline it: "Take charge of 10 cities." Take charge of 10 cities. Look at the parable. It takes us to the idea of trustworthy, now big leadership.

Then the second guy came to him and said, verse 18, "Sir, your mina has earned five more." The master said, "Great, that's not a big amount of money. But listen, you go take charge of five cities." Little things here, temporal matters here. Show that you can be trusted. Show that you can be trustworthy because you know where you're headed. You're headed to deal with big issues. Can you imagine? You know, I thought we were going to just chill out forever. No, you got stuff to do here. You have administration to carry out.

See, because of the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises that are not being spiritually fulfilled here and now, there will be a physical kingdom on earth where Jesus is enthroned in a place where he now delegates authority to those of us that have followed him now. And he says, "I need you guys to be my leaders." Wow, I didn't know. Well, we need to know. And that's why Paul is reminding them, "Do well with your problems now. Be apt and deft to be able to go up and say, 'I can handle this. I'll deal with this. I can quell this conflict. I can take warring factions; I can make peace here.'" Because that's going to be your job, at least for a thousand years in the Kingdom of the Messiah, physically here on Earth. You will have delegated authority.

And all I'm saying is, get ready. You are a leader in training, and you've got to say, "Should I deal with the problems I have now with a little bit more aptness?" Yeah, you should. How am I going to do it? The answer is back in our passage. Look at the text. It gives us the answer. First Corinthians, chapter 6. It's a little tiny word in the middle of verse 5. Rhetorical question. Of course, he's hoping it's not true, and it's not true. We've got redeemed people there. He says, "Is it possible that there's nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers?" What do you need to judge a dispute? What do you need to solve a problem? What do you need to administrate these concerns?

Well, you need wisdom. You've got to have the wisdom. If you have the wisdom, Paul's saying, then you can solve the problem. Why should God's people have this thing wired? Because they got God's word and they've got God's spirit. And thankfully, we've got God's Son. First John, chapter 2, verse 6, says, "Whoever claims to be in him must walk or live as Jesus walked." You got to live like he lived. That's why the question isn't such a bad one: What would Jesus do? We've got to look at how wisdom is played out in real life. When your friend stabs you in the back, when that person lets you down, how did wisdom respond to that? Was he ever stabbed in the back? Did he have a Judas? Oh, yeah, that's where we get the phrase. What about Peter, the flaky friend? Oh, he had a flaky friend. Oh, he had people attack him. Oh, he had people who wanted to kill him.

See, I can go to Incarnated Wisdom to know how to respond. Leaders in training got to recognize, "Hey, if we're going to be worth anything in the Kingdom of God, time for us to show right here and now, we can take God's resources, that wisdom, and employ it in our present problems." Taking heaven's wisdom, heaven's perspective, and applying it with earth's issues and Earth's problems. You got big responsibilities around the corner. Time for us as leaders in training to show we know how to utilize God's wisdom.

Speaker 1

God's Wisdom when it's Time for Judging. This is Focal Point, and you're listening to a message from Pastor Mike Fabarez titled "You Are More Capable Than You Think." It's just one portion of a series called "Your Next Argument," and you can purchase a CD of the entire series at focalpointradio.org.

You know, Focal Point is dedicated to the accurate, reliable study of God's word so the truths you discover can be examined fully and lived out with integrity. And when life seems unfair, it's all the more important that we align our thinking with God's truth and not indulge our emotions. There are times we might feel just like giving up, especially when things don't happen like we hoped.

But when you're depressed or tempted to shut down, this month's featured book can get you to a healthier mindset. "Change My Heart, O God: A Devotional Journal of 52 Resolves" is a guided journal designed by Pastor Mike himself to move your thinking to a more godly, more life-affirming outcome. Lined pages give you plenty of room to vent, and Pastor Mike's helpful Scriptures, commentary, and Resolves presented on every spread direct you to God's relevant truth. It's going to help transform your thoughts and influence your next steps.

Ask for your copy of "Change My Heart, O God" when you give a generous gift to Focal Point today by calling us at 888-325-8885, or you can give online at focalpointradio.org. If you have a question for Ask Pastor Mike, post it at facebook.com/pastormike or twitter.com/pastormike. By following us, commenting, or liking a post, you'll help others find this program, sharing biblical truths with those in your circles of influence. Join the community and help keep the conversation going through these forums created just for you. You'll find helpful links at focalpointradio.org.

I'm Dave Drouy, wishing you a restful weekend ahead. Mike Fabarez returns to our study of Psalms next week, so be sure to join us Monday for Focal Point. Today's program was produced and sponsored by Focal Point Ministries.

Speaker 4

It.