The City of London vs God

  I was looking for a place to do some work while waiting for my wife who was having her eyes checked at a hospital in downtown London.  I’m not a fan of finding a parking space in down-town anywhere.  I did however find a place at King’s University.  I read carefully the no parking signs and parked my van.  After Ruth was finished, she texted me and I left my outdoor picnic table study zone, packed my briefcase and got into the van and started driving over to St Josephs to pick her up.  Waiting at a stop sign, trying to get onto Richmond —which had all the signs of being the 401—I noticed something under my wiper blade.  Hmm.  Well as I had lots of time to wait, I jumped out and picked off a parking zone violation!  What!  They are wrong!

After picking up Ruth I went back to the place I parked and took a picture of where I thought I had parked—-as evidence!  This was injustice at its finest.  Well, I read the ticket carefully and after thorough investigation called the appropriate number to voice my complaint.  A nice mannered person answered the call and directed me to their on-site picture gallery.  I proceeded to the gallery to find a nice picture of my van parked on the wrong side of the sign.  I’m not sure what happened!  I recall reading the sign and parking appropriately—at least that is what I thought.  But no!  I made a mistake.  I explained my ‘mistake’ to the person, who in the big picture of evils would no doubt receive my humble apology.  Well, no such luck.  Apparently the city of London operates on one principle and one principle alone—justice.  If you park inappropriately, they will ticket you and you must pay the fine!  I paid my $40.00 fine thinking—the guilty pay.

Now, when many compare the city of London with God—they believe that God has a lower appreciation or understanding of justice than does the city of London.  City of London—if you misread the sign, make an honest mistake—tough luck—pay your fine.  We think of God—if we miss the mark, make an honest mistake—or this one—‘I’m not as bad as that person’—God needs to abandon justice and allow those kinds of mistakes into heaven!

If the City of London parking department cries out for justice, shall not the God of heaven cry out for justice as well?

If I can’t make a parking mistake—why on earth do I think sinful, selfish, rebellious actions and thoughts are incidental and non-consequential in God’s kingdom?

1. God is just.
2. No sin, no sinner, regardless of how small, regardless of how little or ‘innocent’ is inconsequential 
3. Outside of God’s mercy—in Christ—everyone will pay the just penalty for sin
4. Hebrews 9:27…it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment
5. Do not appease your guilty minds by thinking God will let you off the hook because your sin is small compared to another!  Do not think that God’s justice is elastic.
6. God is the justifier of all who will repent!

Romans 3:23-26 (NLT) 23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.