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Beholding the Glory (Advent #4) (King’s Cross Church)

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INTRODUCTION

As the Church has meditated on the nature of knowing God, we have come to summarize this pursuit as the three transcendentals: truth, goodness, and beauty. You might think of these as truth is what we are to believe, goodness is what we are to desire, and beauty is what we are to enjoy. And the idea is that these three are interconnected: what is true is also good and beautiful; what is good is also true and beautiful; and what is beautiful is also true and good.

This text is one place we see something of this notion: in Christmas we have the truth, goodness (grace), and beauty (glory) of God fully revealed. The first two are often emphasized, but frequently we don’t know what to do with beauty. Many Christians have been particularly leery of beauty. Beauty seems to be deceptive. It can trick people into sin, like the fruit in the garden, like a seductress. While that is true, truth and goodness have their own deceptions, and God created world full of His glory and beauty and requires us to grow up into it. And Christmas is one time during the year, we get to practice.

THE TEXT

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:14).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

This verse is talking about the incarnation; “incarnation” means “made flesh.” The word for “Word” is logos, and logos was the Greek word for “order, meaning, word, or reason.” Aristotle used it to describe the content or principal argument of a speech, and other philosophers used it to describe the principle of origins, the “seed” of the universe. John famously opens his gospel, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn. 1:1). John says that this Word created all things, echoing some of the philosophers, but when he says that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, he is exploding philosophical categories.

In the ancient world, the logos was distant, abstract, and impersonal, but the gospel says that the principle of all order and reason and meaning and creation is God with us, God made flesh, and not only that, but a particular man, in particular flesh. The universal has become particular and personal. And He has dwelt or literally, pitched his tent (“tabernacled”), with us. And in so doing, He revealed the glory of the Father to us. As the hymn says, “veiled in flesh the Godhead see, hail the incarnate deity!” But the emphasis really must be on the “see” not the “veiled.” This text says that the incarnation is the perfect revelation of the glory of the Father, and Jesus will insist on this later: “he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?” (Jn. 14:9)

And in the incarnation, the gospel says that we have seen a glory that is full of grace and truth. The glory of God is not a distraction from grace and truth; it is the revelation of grace and truth. In other words, truth and goodness are beautiful and glorious. And truth and goodness that are not beautiful are not really fully true or good. Sometimes this is because our truth and goodness are faulty, and sometimes this is because our eyes and tastes are faulty, and sometimes it’s a little of both.

WHY SHOULD CHRISTIANS CARE ABOUT BEAUTY?

1. Because God is beautiful: “we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father” (Jn. 1:14). “And [Moses] said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory” (Ex. 33:18). “Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory” (Ps. 24:10). “One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple” (Ps. 27:4).

2. Because God loves beauty: “And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty” (Ex. 28:2). “And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was gold of Parvaim” (2 Chron. 3:6). “And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth forever” (2 Chron. 20:21). “Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness” (Ps. 29:2). “He has made everything beautiful in its time” (Eccl. 3:11). “And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory” (Is. 6:3).

3. Because God intends for His people to share in His beauty: “And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it” (Ps. 90:17). “The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the gray head” (Prov. 20:29). “In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people” (Is. 28:5). “To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified” (Is. 61:3)

APPLICATIONS

1. Because God is the most beautiful and the source of all beauty, pursue beauty with holiness. This is part of what Christmas is supposed to remind us to do: lights, candles, carols, wreathes, the Christmas story, bows, cookies, presents, new clothes, family, generosity, and feasting. But make sure your heart and words match the glory. Nasty words and attitudes are like puking on the presents. Understood rightly, beauty helps us honor God and one another.

2. Read and listen to great stories and some poetry and symphonies. Beauty is about fittingness/timing. “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver” (Prov. 25:11). Of course the Bible is our great Epic poem, but find stories to read out loud: Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings, John Buchan, ND Wilson, Wodehouse, Shakespeare, Mark Twain, and listen to Handel’s Messiah a few times.

3. Delight in God’s creation: when Job wanted to know God, God came in the storm of His glory and showed him the glories of creation. There’s a tree in your living room full of light. And that’s to remind you that there are trees and lights everywhere constantly: stars overhead at night, sunsets and sunrises with clouds dancing in the light, fields, water, canyons, animals, colors, smells, tastes, sounds, textures, children, spouses, friends, grandparents. God made this world to meet us in it, to draw our eyes to Him. And then just to prove it, He came down and dwelt among us and took away our sin and conquered death and Satan, so that we might behold and enjoy His beauty forever.

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The Justice and Faith of Joseph (Advent #3) (King’s Cross Church)

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INTRODUCTION

Our culture has descended into such sexual debauchery, it is sometimes difficult for us to understand the intense trial that Joseph faced in the unexpected pregnancy of his betrothed wife. It was a scandalous betrayal with potentially massive repercussions for his reputation and livelihood, but like his ancient namesake, he was patient and judicious, and God blessed him immensely, leaving us a faithful example to follow.

The Text: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost…” (Mt. 1:18-25).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Betrothal was a legally binding contract in the ancient world that required a divorce to break, but it was still prior to the marriage consummation. So when Mary was found pregnant, Joseph, being a just man, determined to divorce Mary but to do so quietly in order to minimize her punishment and shame (Mt. 1:18-19). It was while he was carefully contemplating this action that the angel of the Lord appeared to him and informed him that Mary’s story was true, and the son she was carrying was the Messiah, to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah (Mt. 1:20-23). So, at great risk to his own livelihood and reputation, Joseph obeyed the Lord and went through with the marriage, but did not consummate the marriage until after she had given birth, and indicated his wholehearted, obedient faith by naming his adopted son Jesus (Mt. 1:24-25).

THE LAW OF BETROTHED VIRGINS

In the law, it was required that a woman present herself honestly to a potential husband, and if she was presented as a virgin, but later found to have not been, her husband was free to divorce her and she could be liable to the death penalty (Dt. 24:1, 22:20-21). This is because marriage is the building block of all human society: if there is not honesty and loyalty there, you will not have it anywhere. This is why adultery also carried a possible death penalty, as might a betrothed woman sleeping with another man, if she did not “cry out” to indicate her unwillingness (Dt. 22:23).

In this case, Scripture says that Joseph was a “just man,” which means that he was aware of the law of God and committed to obeying it. When Mary came to him pregnant, perhaps trying to explain that it wasn’t what it looked like, Joseph would likely have believed that Mary had in fact slept with another man. By being inclined to divorce Mary quietly, he was choosing the minimum penalty, not charging her publicly with the crime that it appeared she had committed. While it doesn’t appear that the Jews were ordinarily allowed to enforce death penalties under Roman rule (Jn. 18:31, although Acts 7), there would at least have been severe social and religious repercussions, affecting livelihoods (e.g. Dt. 22:21, Jn. 8).

WHILE HE THOUGHT ON THESE THINGS

The justice of Joseph is also illustrated in his immediate response to these things. He is thoughtful and gracious to a woman who has apparently betrayed him and brought massive scandal upon him. In the ancient world, a betrothal was a legally binding contract because there was often a great deal of business that needed to be completed as part of a marriage: lands or houses sold or purchased, major vocational and economic matters settled, etc.

It’s likely that Joseph was not only tempted to be broken hearted, but he may have been in a position to lose a lot financially and vocationally. And if he only divorced her quietly, without publicly charging her with adultery, then he would have still taken a loss. In the face of a massive disappointment, crisis, and potential public scandal, Joseph was thoughtful (Mt. 1:20). He didn’t fly off the handle or blow up. He didn’t make a snap or rash decision.

You might be wondering why he wasn’t considering just marrying Mary. It’s likely that wasn’t a good option because A. He had no idea who the father was and what kind of scandal or trouble that would bring and B. If it was obvious that the baby wasn’t his, it could appear to some that he had actually prostituted his wife, potentially bringing even more shame and scandal on both of them and their families and their people.

While he thought on these things, inclined to divorce his “adulterous” betrothed wife quietly, he received a word from the angel of the Lord in a dream (Mt. 1:20). And the word he received was not exactly the kind of word that made everything better. It certainly exonerated Mary from any crime, but all the same potential scandal and reputational matters remained. It wasn’t exactly a story that would be helpful to most people, at least initially. Which is why the angel’s primary command is: “fear not.” The assignment was not really easier, but it was clear.

APPLICATIONS

God does not ordinarily send messages by angels in dreams. But notice that if He does, He will speak clearly. God does not “chirp and mutter” like pagan wizards (Is. 8:19). “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Is. 8:20). And Jesus is a greater Word than all the angels (Heb. 1). The Word of God is a lamp for our feet and light to our path. The law of God tells us what to do.

Joseph was a just man, and a model for this obedience. In a world blown about by suspicions, accusations, manipulation, hurt, rage, and real betrayal, imitate the thoughtful obedience of Joseph. The assignment may not be easy, but Scripture is clear. Be patient, kind, forgiving, and just. Be faithful to your marriage vows; honor the marriage bed; love purity. And if something immoral has happened, “cry out” (Dt. 22:23-27).

The First Christmas was a real scandal, a trial, a massive interruption in the plans of Joseph and Mary. It wasn’t like anyone expected, and it did not come like a gentle sunrise. It came more like a storm. We face interruptions and major disappointments too. And the temptations to anger and fear are significant. But those are the responses of idolatry. They assume that God is not in control, and they assume that your anger and fear are up to the challenge. But you are a lousy god, and your anger and fear only make things worse. When you are tempted in these ways, consider praying the Lord’s Prayer: meditate on the fact that you have a faithful Father in Heaven: honor Him and His Kingdom and His will and His provision and His grace.

And you can do this because Jesus was born to save His people from their sins.

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Barrenness and the Virgin Birth (Advent #2) (King’s Cross Church)

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INTRODUCTION

One of the central historical facts surrounding the birth of Christ is the virgin birth. Isaiah foretold this (Is. 7:14, Mt. 1:23). And Mary conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and apart from the ordinary contribution of a man.

But when this was first announced to Mary, the angel also highlighted the conception of her cousin Elisabeth, who was called barren. This indicates that the virgin birth is in part the culmination of the theme of barrenness and its healing found in the Old Testament.

The Text: “Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee…” (Lk. 1:34-38).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Having announced that Mary will conceive and bear a son named Jesus, and that He will be the Messiah who will reign on the throne of David forever, Mary askes how this is even possible since she is a virgin (Lk. 1:31-34). The angel says this will happen by the Spirit overshadowing her, since this son will be called the Son of God (Lk. 1:35). The angel also announces that Mary’s elderly cousin Elisabeth is six months pregnant with a son, even though she was well known as barren, proving that with God nothing will be impossible (Lk. 1:36-37). And Mary accepted the assignment from the Lord in obedience to His word (Lk. 1:38).

BARREN WOMBS (AND GROUND)

Barrenness is a theme that goes back to the entrance of sin into the world and the curses pronounced in the Garden: “Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children… And unto Adam he said… cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee…” (Gen. 3:16-18)

Here we learn that the curse of sin will affect the fruitfulness of the woman’s womb and the ground. And the two things go together: barrenness is complete inability or great difficulty in bearing fruit (Ex. 23:26, Dt. 7:14, 2 Kgs. 2:19-21, Ps. 107:34). And barrenness becomes a common trial in the story of Scripture, beginning with all three patriarchs: Sarah was barren (Gen. 11:30), Rebekah was barren (Gen. 25:21), and Rachel was barren (Gen. 29:31). But also the wife of Manoah was barren (Jdg. 13:2), Ruth was apparently barren (Ruth 1:4), and Hannah was barren (1 Sam. 1:2), culminating with Elisabeth (Lk. 1:7).

But the stories illustrate at least two things. First, the pain and helplessness of barrenness: “There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough: The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough” (Prov. 30:15-16). Barrenness is like a festering wound, a constant ache. But second, in every one of these stories, the helpless emptiness is repeatedly interrupted by the joy of God’s provision: “He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord” (Ps. 113:9, cf. 1 Sam. 2:5).

THE BARRENNESS OF SIN

All of this is one of the signs of the barrenness of sin and the fruitfulness of salvation. Sin makes everything fruitless and impossible, and we are powerless to change it. And yet the Prophet Isaiah announced in the midst of Jerusalem’s shameful destruction and powerless exile: “Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord” (Is. 54:1). The prophet instructs those afflicted with the barrenness of sin to fix their eyes on God and break forth with singing, believing that He will make them fruitful.

A little later, the same prophet foretells the salvation of Israel in terms of the barren giving birth: “Shall I bring to birth, and not cause to bring forth, saith the Lord: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? Saith thy God… For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream…” (Is. 66:9, 12). Like a river suddenly flowing in a desert, the virgin birth is the answer to all our barrenness.

APPLICATIONS

1. As you celebrate Christmas, remember that you are celebrating God breaking into history in order to do what is impossible. The hardest thing, the most impossible thing is reconciling defiant sinners to a holy God. But we often get this backwards in our hearts and minds: we think the barrenness in our material lives is the impossible thing but God just forgives sinners easy-peasy. But it’s actually the other way around: healing is relatively easy, but our sin, our spiritual death and barrenness is the impossible thing.

Justice required the wrath of God to be poured out on a perfect man, but there was no man who was perfect and no man who could survive the wrath of God. Think about that: the impossibility of our salvation. But what was completely impossible for us, God has done for us in His own well-beloved Son. The justice due for our sin was the most impossible thing, and therefore, with God now all things are possible. God can and will make everything fruitful. He is for you.

2. Barrenness is a curse, not a lifestyle choice. We reject all voluntary barrenness, even as we sometimes must accept it from the Lord. At the same time, remember the apostolic injunction to “mind thine own business.” Don’t be nosy, and don’t assume the worst. This can apply to marriage, bearing children, and other personal matters.

Also closely related, remember that fruitfulness is to be defined biblically not materialistically. Eight kids that are poorly cared for and hate Jesus is not more fruitful than three kids well-loved and walking in the Light. And sometimes the hard assignment of fruitfulness is no kids and loving your community well, and sometimes there are seasons of different assignments. And we must learn to say, “Let it be according to Thy word.”

3. Finally, singing is required. Right after this scene in Luke’s gospel, Mary visits Elisabeth and breaks into song: “My soul magnifies the Lord!” She is of course singing because she has seen the reversal of the curse. But Isaiah urged the Jews to sing while they were still in exile, while they were still experiencing the effects of the curse because God will surely make all things new. Whether now in this life, or in the life to come, He will wipe away every tear, and He will make everything fruitful. So you must sing, which is to say, you must rejoice. In the midst of pain and suffering and disappointment, sing louder in faith.

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The Line of Promise (Advent #1) (King’s Cross Church)

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INTRODUCTION

As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, it is encouraging to look backwards and see the faithfulness of God over so many generations leading up to the birth of Christ. It is that same covenant faithfulness that is promised to everyone in Christ. God still promises to be our God and the God of our children after us, until the earth is full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

The Text: “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham…” (Mt. 1:1-17).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

When Matthew begins with the “book of the generation” (Mt. 1:1), this is a call back to one of the organizing structures of Genesis: “This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him…” (Gen. 5:1, cf. 2:4, 6:9, 10:1, etc.). The genealogies in Genesis 5 and Genesis 10-11 each record 10 generations: Adam to Noah and Shem to Abram, covering a little over 2000 years, tracing the promise of the “seed of the woman” (Gen. 3:15).

Matthew picks up his genealogy at Abraham and the patriarchs (Mt. 1:2), but he highlights some of the surprises, beginning with the twins born to Tamar by her father in-law Judah (Mt. 1:3). Five generations later, Salmon begot Boaz by marrying the Canaanite prostitute Rahab from Jericho, and of course Boaz married Ruth the Moabitess, a cursed people (Mt. 1:4-5, Dt. 23:3). Boaz was the great-grandfather of King David, who begot Solomon by Bathsheba, who had been the wife of one David’s mighty men, Uriah the Hittite, murdered by David’s command (Mt. 1:6-7, 2 Sam. 23:39). There were fourteen generations of kings from David to Jeconiah, when Judah was conquered and carried into exile in Babylon (Mt. 1:7-11, 1:17). And there were another fourteen generations from Jeconiah to Jesus Christ, born of the virgin Mary, the wife of Joseph (Mt. 1:12-16, cf. 1:17).

A MOTLEY CREW

Perhaps the first thing that stands out is how motley the line of promise is: incest, prostitution, intermarriage with a cursed nation, adultery, murder, slavery, homelessness, and pregnancy out of wedlock are all right on the surface. And that in turn implies all the other “normal” sins and failures of these descendants of Adam. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and this family tree is no different (Rom. 3:23).

But this is the line of promise, the line of the King. What a way to begin the gospel of the King. And so what it actually highlights is the mind-blowing grace of God. Athanasius says that when a great King enters a city it honors the whole city, and when God took on human flesh, He honored our pitiful race.

Notice also that while God works through a family line, there is nothing “pure” about it. As the New Testament labors to demonstrate, the line of promise is by faith not by flesh: “For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith” (Rom. 4:13). It was not through the law, in the sense that it was not by families perfectly keeping the law or achieving greatness by human striving. Ishmael was a picture of human striving, but Isaac was the son of promise (Gal. 4:23, 28). Natural sons or not, the power is in the promise of God, not our family name or bloodline or accomplishments. And the motley nature of the line underlines this point.

You wouldn’t plan the salvation of the world with this family tree, but God did because of His grace.

AND YOU ARE HEIRS

But the other point of these genealogies is to underline God’s love for His people. When you read the genealogies, don’t just think “weird names I can’t pronounce.” Think people, families, children, stories that God loves and has promised to never forget. We carve the names of our loved ones on stone to signify that they were and are beloved and worth remembering, but even the greatest men will be forgotten like Ozymandias in the sands of time. But we serve the God who has sworn to never forget His people. He ordered the names of Israel engraved on precious stones on the breastplate of the High Priest (Ex. 28:9-12, 21). And He has written the names of all of His people in the Lamb’s Book of Life (e.g. Phil. 4:3, Rev. 3:5); they are even engraved on the palms of His hands (Is. 49:16).

He first made that promise in a Garden six thousand years ago to a heartbroken couple who had thrown all of God’s grace away. And that promise was kept to Abraham and his descendants over thousands of years, all the way down to a young virgin named Mary. But the promise was that the curse of sin and death would be completely undone, reversed, and healed. This is why we sing: “He comes to make His blessings flow, far as the curse is found.” God promised Abraham that through him, all the families of the earth would be blessed (Gen. 12:3). God did not send His own Son into the world to condemn the world, but that through Him the world might be saved (Jn. 3:17). All those who trust in Christ are sons and heirs of God: “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:29)

CONCLUSION

Honor your people, beginning with your own parents. If God can use this family tree to save the world, He can use your family tree. Abortion? Adultery? Abuse? Apostacy? Welcome to planet earth, and welcome to the family of Adam.

God created the natural family, and there is something good and glorious about it – even with the curse of sin, there are cathedral ruins that can be remembered and honored. And wherever Christ has come, the rebuilding and healing can begin.

And as you celebrate, remember that you are celebrating the birth of the King into your family, which it turns out is more like your family being reborn into the family of the King. By faith in Jesus Christ, you have been grafted into the line of promise. You are Abraham’s children. This family tree is now your family tree. Jesus Christ is the tree, and all who believe are fruitful branches in Him because He knows them all by name.

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Gratitude and Culture War (King’s Cross Church)

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INTRODUCTION

As we celebrate Thanksgiving this week, it’s worth considering how gratitude is at the center of the great war against evil and the particular battles we face in our day. The basic divide that runs through the center of the human race throughout human history is gratitude versus spite. The unrighteous are those who know God clearly revealed in Creation but refuse to glorify Him as God or be thankful, and those foolish hearts are darkened and make idols and are given over to uncleanness (Rom. 1:21-24).

THE TEXT

“For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” (1 Cor. 4:7)

THE SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

The wisdom of this world is carnal and is marked by envy, strife, divisions, and rivalry (1 Cor. 3:3-4, cf. Js. 3:14-15). And the root of it all is a wicked pride in man. Like arrogant toddlers waddling around in Huggies, people can get puffed up about almost anything, and they do. But the wisdom of God is primarily marked by gratitude since in Christ all things are yours (1 Cor. 3:21), the Lord will judge and make manifest all the counsels of all the hearts (1 Cor. 4:5), and all that we have is from the Lord (1 Cor. 4:7). Who gave you everything that distinguishes you from anyone else? God. What do you have that wasn’t a gift? Nothing. Why do you strut like you had something to do with it?

HE MADE US

“Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name” (Ps. 100:3-4). In Him, we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). Christ is before all things and in Him all things consist (Col. 1:17). All things were not only created by His Word, but all things are held together constantly by His Word (Heb. 1:2-3).

All of this magnifies His kindness and mercy: upholding wicked men, giving life and health and good things to sinners, and then making us alive together in Christ, forgiving our sins, and granting us an inheritance that will never fade. Whatever our duties toward our families, our churches, and our nation, it is all grounded in this thanksgiving and praise and humility. Everything is a gift. And while we must stand against all evil, we must learn to do so with a grin on our face because our Father plays with dragons (Job 41).

NO GRIEVANCE FARMING

Despite all this grace, it is still the temptation of sinners to complain, murmur, and nurse grudges, which are all ultimately directed at God Himself. When Israel murmured about the lack of food and water, they were rebelling against God (Ex. 17:7, Num. 14:22, 1 Cor. 10:10).

In the name of “justice,” sinners plant resentment, spite, and wrath, and expect to reap a harvest of righteousness. But Scripture is clear: “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God” (Js. 1:19-20). You can’t build a healthy family, community, business, or nation with wrath welling up in your chest. That is the fuel of the enemy.

Righteous, godly anger is very slow and deliberate: it took God hundreds of years to finally destroy Israel and Judah. But many disciples would call fire down on clueless Samaritans and the animals of Nineveh. Godly anger is like the Ents that hold counsel to determine whether to become angry and go to war. Godly anger is surgical, precise, and altogether holy and productive.

NO MARXISM

Marxism is the modern cult religion of class envy. It imagines that peace and prosperity will magically appear in the aftermath of violent revolution, when the oppressed victims overthrow their oppressors. This was initially pitched in economic terms (working class vs. business owners), but it was repackaged in the last 75 years to include sex, race, and then sexual perversions. But the engine that drives it all is spite and resentment for the way God made the world. There are real injustices that get weaponized, but since the “problem” is God and His world, this so-called “social justice” plays fast and loose with the truth, designating classes of people in unbiblical categories.

God created the world hierarchically and diverse. And He created a world where virtue and hard work are generally rewarded, and sin has created thorns, weeds, pain, enmity, and death. The problem is not power, wealth, sex, or skin color. The problem is sin infecting those things, and sinners are tempted to rage and hate, fixating on those things. And the Devil loves it so because he can keep people locked in cages of resentment and false victimhood.

CONCLUSION

So be thankful for your grandma, the turkey, pumpkin pie, how tall or short you are, the color of your skin, and rejoice before the Lord. No guilt for any of His gifts and love your people they way you have been loved in Christ. But no throwing elbows; no wrath in your chest.

We want true gratitude without any whining, true thanksgiving without any spite, true grace without any rivalry.

There is a marked difference between gratitude that simply sees the gifts and bows the head in gratitude on the one hand, and the faux-gratitude that flexes in front of a mirror, while stealing sidelong glances down the table.

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