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Job 40:8 (ESV)

 

Will you even put me in the wrong?

Will you condemn me that you may be in the right?

 

One of the greatest human mistakes is to think that we have the ability or the right to sit in judgment over the actions and ways of the Lord. Consider how often you have heard a person attempt to explain why a certain thing that God has chosen to do is right. Often the rationale behind how we justify an action of the Lord is our best consideration of logic. But, the truth is, the action of the Lord is right because it is the action of the Lord.

 

We want to be very careful here. Of course it is a worthy exercise for us to look at the mysterious ways of the Lord and seek to find out as much about him and his ways as we can. Of course it is good for us to recognize the rightness and the perfection in the decisions he has made. But, and this is vital, we also need to recognize that we have no right, absolutely none, to make a judgment as to whether or not the things God has done or the ways that he has done them is right. To make such a verdict places us on the bench and God on trial. We must not think that we can do such a thing, not even for a moment.

 

As we look at the end of Job, we see that God is clear that it is not OK for a mere human, a finite creature, to judge the actions of the Lord. Let us learn from this that God is great and we are not. Let us remember his ways are not ours. Let us remember that is thoughts are as much higher than ours as the sky is higher than the land. Let us be humble enough to worship the Lord and acknowledge his holiness and righteousness, even in situations where we cannot understand.

Micah 6:6-8 (ESV)

 

6 “With what shall I come before the Lord,

and bow myself before God on high?

Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,

with calves a year old?

7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,

with ten thousands of rivers of oil?

Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,

the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”

8 He has told you, O man, what is good;

and what does the Lord require of you

but to do justice, and to love kindness,

and to walk humbly with your God?

 

Have you ever wondered if we make the faith a harder thing than God did? I certainly think it is true. We talk about spiritual disciplines, about evangelistic zeal, and about being radical. We find a particular spiritual cause or practice to be good and helpful for us, and then we demand that it become a major part of every Christian’s life. But how many of us can commit ourselves to memorizing whole books of the Bible, ending abortion, defeating human trafficking, feeding the homeless, winning our neighborhoods and workplaces for Jesus, having a date night every week with our wives, spending individual days with each child in our family, visiting the elderly in nursing homes, mentoring students, reading the Puritans, studying systematic theology, promoting international adoption, studying biblical theology, promoting Christian involvement in politics, studying church history, coaching a sports team to build relationships, having an accountability group, going on prayer retreats, attending the latest conferences, preparing sermons and/or Bible studies, developing strategies for church growth, going on international mission trips, keeping up with old friends, figuring out the millennium, opening our homes too hospitality, and only eating foods that glorify God while exercising to keep our bodies fit as temples of the Holy Spirit?

 

All of what I just wrote in that last paragraph are good things to do. But, are all the things I just wrote required for every believer to be equally committed to in order to please God? I do not think so.

 

In Micah’s passage above, we see a set of people asking what they should do in order the please God. They want to know how far they have to go in order to make God happy with them. Micah’s answer blows our activity-driven Christianity out of the water.

 

Micah tells the people, on God’s behalf, that what God requires is that we do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with him. Doing justice, in the context of the passage, means that we avoid cruelty and cheating of others. It means that we avoid taking advantage of those in need. We do not crush people, sneaking around them to do them harm while we gain power and position for ourselves.

 

To love kindness is sort of the other side of the justice coin. We do not do others harm to get ahead. Instead, we show kindness to others. We help people in need when we can. We extend love to those who are hurting. We treat people, well, like we want to be treated.

 

The end of the passage wraps up with the call to walk humbly with our God. Here is where spiritual living in obedience to the commands of God is found. We obey God’s commands, otherwise we could not walk with him. But nothing about that phrase indicates a massive to-do list that stresses us to the max as we try to figure out how to squeeze every possible good thing that could be done into every possible second of our day for every possible day of our lives.

 

Interestingly, this passage is as if Micah has already seen something of the mind of Jesus. Our Lord told us that the greatest commandments in Scripture are that we love God with everything we have and that we love our neighbors as ourselves (cf. Mat. 22:37-40). Or, it seems like Micah has a grasp of the writings of the apostles in the epistles as they repeatedly tell Christians to love God, to love each other, and to live differently than a cruel and immoral world around them.

 

Don’t get me wrong. Of course I believe in living a productive, spiritually disciplined, evangelistic, non-lazy life. But I would say that a passage like this one reminds us that we are not ever going to earn the favor of God. Nor has God required that we try. Instead, the Lord tells us exactly what he intends to tell us. Do justice, love kindness, and walk with God humbly. That will probably mean that you cannot wrap your entire life around every good thing. That is OK. You are not made a child of God by doing good deeds anyway. Children of God who are forgiven and brought into his family come by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ. So, trust Jesus, love Jesus, connect with a local church so you can love others in the family of God, obey God’s commands in a way that makes you look different than the lost world around you, and rest in the grace of the Lord who does not require complication in our faith.

 

So, Christian, as this season overwhelms us, let’s stop, breath, and give God thanks. He wants us love him and love others. Let’s do that well as we rest in his grace for his glory.

From time to time, we read a passage that does a wonderful job of putting us in our place. This morning, I feel that humbling acutely as I read through Job 35. The whole chapter is a flowing argument, so I will not reproduce it at the beginning of this post as I often do when commenting on only a verse or two.

 

First, context is important. Job suffered, but not as a punishment from God. God intended the life of Job to demonstrate his glory, and Job proved to the devil that he was faithful to God no matter how severely the devil attacked him.

 

Then, beginning in chapter 3, Job was met by four friends. The three older ones argued with Job, directing him to repent of whatever sin he had committed to bring these hardships on himself. Job, for his part, began to feel put upon and unfairly treated by God. By the end of this round of conversation, Job was ready to accuse God of wronging him and refusing to answer him.

 

Enter Elihu ,the fourth friend. This youngest participant in the conversation waited until the men frustrated him to no end. Elihu was frustrated by Job’s self-justification. He was frustrated by the foolish prosperity preaching and arrogance of the other 3 friends. And when Elihu finally speaks, he lets everybody have it.

 

Today’s reading, in chapter 35, is short but powerful. Elihu begins by telling Job that he is about to let Job know why it is better for Job not to have sinned against God even if Job has had a hard life (1-4).

 

Job 35:5-7

 

5 Look at the heavens, and see;

and behold the clouds, which are higher than you.

6 If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against him?

And if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him?

7 If you are righteous, what do you give to him?

Or what does he receive from your hand?

 

Elihu then puts us all in our place by directing our eyes to the sky. How high is the sky? How far above us are the clouds? God is further above us still. If we do right, we do not impress God. If we sin, we do not do God harm. No action of ours can strengthen or weaken God. Our actions,, rather, impact how God will respond to us.

 

After going a little further in pointing out how little mankind gives God credit for his great works, Elihu responds to the complaint raised by Job and by many on earth who are frustrated that God does not respond to their demands for explanation.

 

Job 35:12-16

 

12 There they cry out, but he does not answer,

because of the pride of evil men.

13 Surely God does not hear an empty cry,

nor does the Almighty regard it.

14 How much less when you say that you do not see him,

that the case is before him, and you are waiting for him!

15 And now, because his anger does not punish,

and he does not take much note of transgression,

16 Job opens his mouth in empty talk;

he multiplies words without knowledge.

 

O that we would recognize that God is not required to explain himself or his ways to us. We do not have the right to call him to account. We have no authority over him. There is no rule beyond both God and us that can call God into line. God, by definition, is the ultimate source of authority and morality. What God does is, by definition right. What God demands is by definition moral and just and perfect. And it is only selfish pride that moves us to believe that God must be justified in our sight or explain to us why he has acted in a certain way or determined that certain things are moral.

 

How, then, might we respond to this humbling passage? There are probably more ways than I can write this morning. Think of an issue like the modern debates over gender and sexuality. Many people argue that the Bible has no authority over what they wish to do with their bodies. They had better hope that they are right. They had better hope, for their sake, that the Bible is merely a book put together by men with no actual spiritual authority or reflection on the heart of God. Even though that will lead them to a world without ultimate hope and without a source of morality, that hopelessness and meaninglessness of life is the best that those who would oppose the words of God would have to wish for. Because, if they are not right, and if God’s word has told us what God has said about creation, about gender, about sexuality, about marriage, and about his commands, those who have demanded proof will find it when they face the Lord who has given his commands.

 

Or what about those who would argue that God must accept any sincere person’s religion, even if that religion is not that of the Bible? Would this passage not remind us that God is not required to make his rules according to secular logic? God is God. He has the right to save or not to save by whatever means he has chosen. If God has indeed chosen to rescue a particular people for himself through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, if God has chosen to rescue such people by his grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, we dare not argue about whether such a system is fair, right, or best. God is God. He is above us. He is holy. Our arguments against him are words without knowledge and empty talk.

 

Here, of course, many Christians would voice a hearty “Amen!” But let us not forget that we are given to the same sorts of logical failings if we are not careful. Many times we believers will act just like Job’s three friends. We will look at a situation, and we will boldly declare that we know why it has happened. I have heard far too many Christians say exactly why a particular natural disaster occurred—usually as a punishment from God—or why a particular person was facing difficulty–usually as the work of the devil. But we need to be far more humble and far more trusting of the Lord. Yes, God might indeed punish an unbelieving world as he sees fit. Yes, God might allow the devil to cause us hardships for the greater good of his glory. Yes, some of our sufferings might be our own fault simply because of bad decisions. Yet, we should be very careful declaring that we have the inside track on the motivations of a God who is as much higher than us as the heavens are above the earth. God is good. God’s ways are not ours. We need the humility to bow before him and declare to him that he indeed is the one who knows why he has chosen to act or not to act in a certain way. We need the humility to declare, “Not my will but yours be done.”

 

As a last illustration, how about that feeling that many of us get that God owes us his favor and blessing because of our commitment and sacrifice on his behalf? We are crazy when we think like that. We saw that God is not improved by our obedience or harmed by our sin. This is not to say that God does not care. It is, however, to remind us that we do not improve God’s circumstance through our faithfulness. We do not help his kingdom come except for in whatever way he has sovereignly allowed us to be a part of the work that he is doing. As such, we have no right to feel that God owes us any sort of reward for any sacrifice we have made. By his grace, God has promised us an ultimate reward in Christ as he demonstrates for all to see his riches of love and grace in kindness to us in eternity. This is not something we earn. It is grace, pure and simple. Thus, we have no right to believe that our lives should be easier or harder in the here and now. We need the humility to rest in God’s care, know that he is good, know that his ways are best, and, as Mary said to the angel, declare ourselves to be God’s servants ready to allow him to do whatever he pleases with us.

Job 34:14-15 (ESV)

 

14 If he should set his heart to it

and gather to himself his spirit and his breath,

15 all flesh would perish together,

and man would return to dust.

 

Philosophy sometimes uses the term “necessary” to describe God. The concept of a necessary being is a being upon whose existence the rest of existence is based. Were the universe not to exist, that would not change the existence of God. Were God not to exist, the universe could not exist. God is necessary to the existence of the universe.

 

It is not only certain parts of philosophy that would describe God as necessary. Looking at Job 34, we can see that, around four thousand years ago, people understood that God holds the universe together and gives all living creatures their lives. Without him, we are nothing.

 

Notice the claim in verses 14-15 above. If God wanted to, he could gather back to himself his breath. If God did that, everyone and everything in existence is dead. There is no fighting back. There is no warring against this move. If God decides, he pulls the plug and the power goes off. There is no reserve that we, as creatures, hold against him.

 

Verses like the ones above put us in our proper place. God is God. We are not. God is in control. We are not. God holds us together. We do not hold ourselves or him together. We have no right and no ability to battle against him. We have no right and no ability to question him. God is the ultimate. God is supreme. He is worthy of our worship.

 

How do we respond? May we respond in worship. God is king. Let us bow down and declare this fact. Doing so will in no way add to God, but it will give us the joy of doing what we exist to do.

Revelation 9:20-21 (ESV)

 

20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, 21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

 

Chapter 9 of Revelation is one of those terrifying pieces of apocalyptic literature. We see demons, death, and destruction. Not all of it is easily understood, though I certainly believe that there is a principle that God wants us to get from the passage.

 

I say that this is not all easy to understand because figurative creatures and apocalyptic language is tough. Some would argue that, at some point in the future, God will actually unleash the horrifying monsters of the chapter on the world and allow them to torment those who have rebelled against him. Others would say that these afflictions are figurative. However, we need to recognize that, should these things be figurative, they will still be terrible. Biblical language does not use figurative language to paint pictures that are bigger than reality. If the monsters of Revelation 9 are images of judgment, the judgment itself will be at least as bad as if the monsters were literally real.

 

Discussions of demonic attackers aside, as I said, there is a big lesson to learn. After major calamity comes upon the earth as the trumpets are blown, we read what is written in verses 20-21. No matter how big was the judgment of Revelation chapter 9, no matter how bad were the events depicted in the horrifying six trumpets, rebellious mankind refuses to turn away from the sins that they had been committing that brought upon them the judgment of God.

 

See, then, that we are a stubborn people. Though we think that, if God took an active role and really showed us that he is there and that we need to cut out our foolishness, we would respond, the truth is, mankind is notorious for refusing to listen to the Lord, no matter how clearly he speaks. We are not good at letting our hurts and hardships remind us that God is there, that God is holy, and that we need to be under his mercy. In fact, often, when we face any sort of pain, we act as though God has wronged us by not preserving us from hardship.

 

What shall we learn then? First, see the tendency that we have to double-down on our sin when we hurt. God has designed us to live in his presence and for his glory. When our sin throws our lives into pain and chaos, often we will try one of two alternatives. We may try to do really hard work to fix our own lives—a process that never actually works because we are too weak. Often, however, we double-down on our sin, which is what the people do in Revelation 9. We find our lives messed up in rebellion and brokenness, and we just do more of the same, wallowing in our fight against God until he finally judges us. We need hope. We need help. The only path out of a life of brokenness is through the finished work of Jesus.

 

Second, if you are not under the grace of God, if you have not yet come to Jesus and sought his forgiveness and turned from your sin, today would be a great day to do so. God is real. God’s judgments are real. I do not know about what the judgments of God will really look like, but I know that, for those who do not have his grace, the judgment of God will be horrible. Turn from any sort of rebellion against God, stop thinking you get to run your own life, repent, and trust in Jesus as your only hope. The beautiful truth is, no matter how broken your life has become, whether it is your own doing or the results of what others have done to you, God has mercy, grace, and healing for you in Jesus.

 

Finally, if you know Christ, realize that the judgment of God will come on this world. Yet, also realize that such judgment will not change the hearts of those who are intent on rebelling against God. Mankind does not respond to God out of their own hearts. We are dead in sins and transgressions. Thus, if you have responded to God, it is only the grace of God that has brought you there. You would not have learned on your own. So, thank God for his amazing grace on you. Thank God for making your heart able to see what the people here in Revelation 9 did not see. Worship God, and take his message of grace to a world desperately in need of salvation.   

Job 32:2-3 (ESV)

 

2 Then Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, burned with anger. He burned with anger at Job because he justified himself rather than God. 3 He burned with anger also at Job’s three friends because they had found no answer, although they had declared Job to be in the wrong.

 

There are two big mistakes that Job and his friends make in the book of Job, and God intends for us to see them. Sadly, when we think of this book, we often get extra-fascinated with the spiritual battles in chapters 1 and 2 or with the righteous responses that Job had early in the book without seeing the wrong ways that Job responded to God later. We also fail to see ourselves in the 3 friends who converse with Job from chapters 3 through 31.

 

We need, however, to see that there are two big errors that God has wanted us to grasp from chapters 3-31, and we are easily tempted to fall into them. Job attempted to self-justify before God. Job’s friends accused, assuming they knew more than they did. Neither group rested in God’s sovereignty.

 

First, let’s see Job. We know that Job was righteous, not sinning with his lips, in the early chapters. When his wife tried to get him to curse God and die, Job responded as he should have. He is to be commended.

 

But, if you watch Job’s speeches, it appears that Job becomes progressively more convinced of his own personal righteousness. He walks dangerously close to and even crosses the line into accusing God of treating him wrongly and owing him an explanation. Had Job not failed in his attitude, he would have had no need to twice declare that he repents at the end of the book. As Scripture shows us, God is just, not us. God is wise, not us. God is always right, not us.

 

What we need to learn from Job comes in what stirred the anger of Elihu. Job attempted to justify himself. We just can’t do that. God is holy. His ways are not ours. We have no right to tell God how good we have been. Our greatest goodness is nothing apart from the grace of God. We certainly cannot argue that we deserve any sort of good treatment from our Creator. Neither does he owe us any sort of explanation.

 

Christians, realize that you are not good on your own. You are gifted with grace that is entirely not of yourself. Non-Christians, realize that you do not have the right to stand before God and declare that you have been a good person. If Job could not justify himself, you and I certainly cannot. And let us all realize that God is holy and perfect. We answer to him, not the other way round.

 

Second, look at the response Elihu had for Job’s 3 friends. These men accused Job, but had no idea how to make a case. They sat there before Job and constantly assumed that they knew why God was doing what he was doing. They assumed that Job must be being punished by God for something they could not see. They assumed that, would Job only admit what he had done wrong, God would clearly restore him to health, wealth, and prosperity.

 

How often do we sit in judgment of others? How often do we assume that we know why God has done all that he has done? How easily do we assume that others deserve the judgment of God while we should have grace? How foolish are we?

 

Let us learn from Job’s friends that God is perfect and beyond us. We do not have the right to assume that we know why anybody is going through anything. All are sinners, us included. All deserve far more judgment than any of the living have ever received, us included. God’s choices for us are often mysterious, and none of us will have the wisdom on our own to explain all of God’s thoughts and plans. All we can do is to rely on what is revealed in Scripture and to trust that God knows far better than we do. 

Amos 6:4-7 (ESV)

 

4 “Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory

and stretch themselves out on their couches,

and eat lambs from the flock

and calves from the midst of the stall,

5 who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp

and like David invent for themselves instruments of music,

6 who drink wine in bowls

and anoint themselves with the finest oils,

but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!

7 Therefore they shall now be the first of those who go into exile,

and the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away.”

 

If you’ve followed my family and our story, you know that, in July, we moved to Las Vegas where I now serve as pastor of Providence Reformed Church. This has been a wonderful move. We serve a lovely body of believers who deeply desire to hear and obey the word of God and abide in Christ. Our family has adjusted well and has enjoyed the natural beauty of the mountains and canyons here in the desert. We have also, as you would imagine, found the city itself fascinating.

 

This city has everything. For good or for ill, there is nothing a person could want that they could not find here. Food, entertainment, gambling, architecture, spectacle, shopping, and all forms of extravagance are what Las Vegas is known for.

 

There is an interesting temptation that can come when experiencing life here in Vegas. No, I’m not tempted to bankrupt our family through gambling or to dive off a cliff into foolishness. But, it is interesting to know about the crazy luxuries that the city boasts. From palatial hotel rooms to fine art to thousand-dollar meals, Las Vegas is the place for the rich and famous to come and play. No matter how amazed one is by seeing a story of a multi-floor, 4,000 square foot hotel room complete with personal chef, something else comes to top it.

 

Thus, it is healthy to see something like what is written by the prophet Amos above. Las Vegas is not the first city to be completely given to extravagant pleasure. In fact, such had become the culture of ancient Israel before the fall of the northern kingdom. We see that the people were given to ease, laziness, and comfort in verse 4. Also, in verse 4, we see them devoted to fine food. Musical entertainment, even useless ditties, occupied their time as we see in verse 5. In verse 6, we see the vanity of expensive perfumes and rich wines. But, as verse 6 moves into verse 7, we see that the people do not care about the fall of their land and are destined for destruction.

 

And here we sit. You do not have to live here in Vegas with me to see that we live in a nation that looks like what Amos described. We are a people seeking leisure far above seeking productive lives. We are lazy as a people. We love our comfy beds, our rich foods, our banal entertainment (Is anyone singing about anything important any longer?), our looks, our smells, our wine, and all the rest. Imagine how this would have looked had Amos written after the invention of the smart phone, 24-hour cable news, or social media?

 

Now, here are a few things to ponder. First, God did not condemn comforts. So, do not immediately go out and throw away your soft bed or throw out your nice food. Preventing pleasure was not God’s point.

 

Second, letting this passage lead us to sit in judgment over others in our land is not useful to us. Throwing rocks at the culture has never helped the church. Nor has angry cultural criticism ever been the command of Scripture for God’s people. Look at the letters to the Corinthians as an example, and you will see that God commands his people to love him, to love each other, and to live differently than the people around them. God did not command them to aggressively attack their city, he told them to change it through their different lives which would include personal evangelism.

 

Third, this passage offers us a warning. We are not to find ourselves overly fascinated with the extravagances of the super-rich. While such is great fodder for reality TV specials, it is not at all helpful for the heart of the average human being. We do not do our souls good when we allow ourselves to be jealous of those who throw their money away on $50K night club visits or $20K hotel stays.

 

Fourth, the big point of the passage is to see that judgment of God is coming on those who care for the trinkets of this life while not at all caring about the people and the things of God. I do not write that to condemn the celebs and all that they do. My point is for us as believers. We need to remember the shortness of this life. We need to remember the significance of eternity. We need to watch out that we do not allow ourselves to become so addicted to our own comforts and pleasures that we ignore the kingdom of God. Nor do we need to become so fascinated by others’ high-profile lives that we fail to recognize that God has given us all that we need for life and godliness.

 

Our world is fallen. Our own hearts can be too easily tempted to wish we had the luxuries of the super-rich. But we would be better served to seek what will actually give our hearts lasting pleasure and our souls lasting reward. Christ has come. The God who made us has greater treasures for us in his presence than anyone on earth has ever dreamed up. Let us live by faith, trusting that eternity with Christ is worth far more and will be far more extravagant than a few years of soft living in the here and now.

 

Let me add one last thought. It is Christmas time, and thoughts like these can dampen the holiday celebrations of some. Please do not fail to realize that, as we celebrate, even as we feast with family and friends, we can do so rightly. Do not let this season and these feasts lead you to laziness or to envy for those who have more. Instead, let every good bite of food and every well-given gift remind you of the kindness, grace, and goodness of our God, the giver of all good things.  

Revelation 6:15-17

 

15 Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16 calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

 

Any reader of Christian theology and biblical commentaries will understand that the book of Revelation and interpreting its prophecies is and has been a very debated issue. Who are the riders on the four horses? What exactly are all those odd-looking and often scary creatures? What do we do with that thousand year period in chapter 20? But, here at the end of chapter 6, we see something that we cannot debate, though many people do not give it enough thought.

 

 

Revelation 6 includes the opening of a series of seals. My best understanding is that this is an indication of the moving of human history toward its ultimate and God-honoring conclusion. God’s kingdom will come and his will shall be done on earth as it is in heaven. The first five seals show that, as history moves forward from when John was seeing it, the world experiences conquest, war, hunger, and death. The church will experience persecution, but the Lord comforts the persecuted and promises justice. And when the sixth seal is opened, we see apocalyptic upheaval as the Lord himself does justice. This justice terrifies a world full of cowering and godless leaders who have never thought that they would be called to account for their decisions.

 

 

            Notice in the verses above what most terrifies the leaders. These strong and powerful men are hiding in holes in the ground, begging to be invisible, because they cannot bear to see the face of the Lord on his throne, nor can they bear—and this has my attention today—the wrath of the Lamb. Something about the sight of Jesus, the Lamb of God, is so terrifying to this watching world that they would rather be buried alive in a ditch than to face what the Son of God is bringing.

 

The Lamb has wrath. There is a Christmassy thought for you. This is the same person whose birth we celebrate this season. This is the one who came in sweetness and gentleness to give the greatest display of the love of God ever seen. Yet, as we learn more about the Lord Jesus, we also must grasp that he has every bit of the wrath and just fury of God as we saw it in the Old Testament. Jesus hates sin. Jesus will do justice. Jesus will return. Jesus will judge. Jesus has wrath.

 

So, this day, as many of us think about the first coming of the Savior, let us remember that that coming is not the only coming of the Savior. Jesus awaits the time of his return. When that return happens, the justice of God will be done. Make no mistake, this will not be the Son of God sadly watching as his mean Father does all the judging. No, Jesus will be working hand-in-hand with the Father to pour out the wrath of the Godhead over all those who have rejected his grace, rebelled against his authority, and corrupted his creation.

 

God is love. Jesus is God. The Father is God. The Holy Spirit is God. God is just. The Father, Son, and Spirit are just. This is one God, unified in his eternal perfection. That perfection includes the sweetness of the babe in the manger and the wrath of that same Savior returning to crush those who have never submitted to his rightful rule.

 

How should we think about this? It is frightening. Yet, it is the same message that the Bible has always presented. Sin brings death. God brings both justice and grace. The best way to respond is to get under the grace of God before the Lamb returns in wrath. Also, it is wise to respond by understanding that this is an accurate picture of Jesus, the real Jesus. God also intends that this picture comfort a persecuted church and call a rebellious world to repentance.

 

Lord, as I see this picture of your promised justice, I am reminded that my picture of you must be adjusted to be accurate. You are merciful. You are just. You will forgive all who come to you. You will punish those who refuse and who continue to rebel. Your word will not be unfinished. History will conclude as you have promised. I ask that you help me to see you as you are. I ask that you help me properly praise you and submit to you. I ask that you have mercy, rescuing many, before this great day of your return comes. I ask that you help your church to be a strong and faithful witness to your glory. Let us love you this season as we remember the first Advent of the Savior. Let us also be comforted and challenged remembering that the second Advent will be powerful.