²¹ Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:²² But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Matthew 5:21-22

Jesus pushes the application of the law into the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hatred in your heart breaks the sixth commandment. He is not equating how heinous the act is, 1^st degree murder is worse than a spiteful thought in degree, but they are both condemned by the law, and that angry thought will come under the judgement of God. We are given 3 terms here that are worth explaining. First anger, which we understand, the second one is the transliteration Raca, which we do not know exactly what it means, but most agree it is equivalent to calling someone stupid. It is a scornful term coming from a place of pride. And lastly “Thou fool” is passing moral judgement on someone, despising or detesting someone from a place of bitterness and hatred. The Westminster catechism teaches well that the sixth commandment not only condemns the taking of a life, but also requires us to preserve life so far as we are able. So taking Jesus application here, that does not just mean pulling your neighbor out of the water if they are drowning. It also applies to how you think about your neighbor. Do you look down on your neighbor in your pride? Is it easy for you to get annoyed at someone when they screw up, how about when they inconvenience you? Do you take personal offense? Are you holding on to that offense with bitterness?

Call these thoughts what God calls them. Annoyance, frustration, personal offense, are euphemisms for little bits of anger in your heart. Instead of these evil thoughts we ought to think life unto our neighbors, we ought to think of how to bless them and their family. This does not need to be in the form of major action. Just like a hateful thought is sin so turning your face toward your neighbor with a loving thought is obedience. So, confess frustration, annoyance, bitterness, quickly. And do it today, for if you let it be, it will grow deceiving you more and more as it grows. These thoughts fester if left alone and can ruin marriages, families, and communities. Instead of growing together in love you will be shrinking apart in hate.

Zach Browning – November 26, 2023

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The holidays are rife with a temptation to let down your guard. Drinking to drunkenness. Lowering entertainment standards. Snapping in irritation at family members. Wandering down an internet rabbit hole of folly, envy, or lust. Being slothful and calling it rest.

As Christians, our celebrations are to be glorious. But the glory of our celebrations doesn’t come from reckless self-indulgence. Rather, the glory only comes from being a forgiven people. And, forgiven people ought to be marked as loving people. The equation which Christ gave us is that those who are forgiven much love much. But love isn’t the mushy slop of subjective feelings. The definition for love is found in the deep ocean of God’s attributes. 

The love of God which we are to imitate cannot be divorced from the holiness of God which we receive through Christ by the Spirit who dwells in us. Being forgiven is like getting rid the furniture of sin (the musty couch of envy, the chair of arrogance with a missing leg, the creaky bed-frame of lust, and so on). But a barren house, void of the comfort of lovely furniture and the beauty of attractive decor is not a pleasant place for celebration. Pursuing holiness is how the Spirit works in us to bring into our lives the pleasant furnishings of God’s love.

Holiness is loving what God loves and hating what God hates. This maxim holds true at all times, including our celebrations and holidays. The glory of our jollification comes from being forgiven and being holy by the Spirit’s power in us.

So be vigilant during your celebrations. Don’t put down the sword. Don’t fold your hands in sloth when it comes to vigilantly watching for sin. Don’t leave a chink in your armor. For godly celebration is a lethal weapon in overthrowing the darkness of our age.

Our times of leisure are a blessing from God’s hand, a gift of His grace, and a foretaste of the everlasting peace purchased for us through Christ’s blood. As such, we must not neglect to put on Christ in our times of celebration. We must not forsake our duties of righteousness which God has commanded for us. And we certainly must not toy with our temptations instead of slitting their throats. May God give you vigilance in your merry-making, that you may be a clear and vivid testimony of the glory of His forgiveness and the potency of His holiness in us.

Finally, true rejoicing and celebration only from flows from the knowledge that God is merciful to sinners. This mercy was made manifest in the cross of our Lord Jesus, through whom the world was crucified to you and you to the world. So let all your rejoicing this month be grounded upon this everlasting glory, that your sins, which are scarlet, He has washed whiter than snow.

Ben Zornes – November 26, 2023

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One of the reasons we don’t do greater things for the Lord is because we are too afraid of dirt. You can’t get much of anything done in the world without making a mess. Anyone who has cooked a meal knows this. Anyone who has played a football game knows it, too. There will be pots to clean and counters to wipe in the first instance. In the second, there will be shoulders to pop back into sockets. This is simply how the world works. Proverbs 14:4 says, “Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: But much increase is by the strength of the ox.”

We are to produce fruit. So don’t be disabled by the mud, the grime, or the trouble that comes while you’re farming. Sure, I can tell you how you can do less laundry. Don’t let your kids do anything. No sweating, no running, no eating of any kind; we can’t afford stains. But abundant crops come by the strength of those little oxen. 

There are bumps to doing business: The deal gone bad, the troubled relationship, the stripped-out screw that you’re now going to have to rip out of the drywall, these are all production costs. See them for what they are and laugh at them. The man who can only see the dirty oxen trough is worse than near-sighted; he is blind. He’s doomed to servile fear and despair. But God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and sound mind.

One of the dirtiest jobs you’ll ever face up to is straightforward, unqualified confession of sin. Why in the world would you go looking for your own muck and then, when you find it, hold it up to the Lord with an apology? You do it because you see beyond this particular ox trough. Get it clean so you can stand up on the other side and produce greater fruit for the Lord.

Jared Longshore – November 26, 2023

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