Text: Luke 12:49-53
51 Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.
C.S. Lewis says:
A world of nice people, content in their own niceness, looking no further, turned away from God, would be just as desperately in need of salvation as a miserable, [broken and retched] world -- and might even be more difficult to save.
C.S. Lewis, quoted in Against the Night, Charles Colson, p. 139.
It’s like the story of the school teacher who lost her life savings in a business scheme … by a swindler. When her investment disappeared and her [dreams were] shattered, she went to the Better Business Bureau. "Why on earth didn't you come to us first?" the official asked. [“Well], she said … I didn't come because I was afraid you'd tell me not to do it."
Jerry Lambert. (modified)
You see … the truth is … we want to believe the lies.
It in a way it explains the cross. Not as peace and comfort but as agony and death. Not as accomplishing anything good … but only something bad that shouldn’t have happened, we think. What truly lies beyond the cross … the resurrection of Jesus and salvation that he gives is unable to be seen through the eyes of self and can only be received as a gift through the eyes of faith.
49 “I came to cast fire on the earth, [Jesus says] and would that it were already kindled! 50 I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished!
What fire is Jesus talking about? Why is he anxious and distressed? And what does baptism have to do with it?
Well, the fire is the wrath of God cast down from heaven on the earth as punishment for sin; and yes Jesus wants it done with and finished. He also has a baptism to be baptized with – not of washing away sin - but of receiving the sins of the whole world upon him so that God’s wrath might be focused in one place, on Jesus, once and for all. That brings Jesus great distress because his baptism is a bloody baptism.
As Christ was baptized by John he was marked for you and me and all as our substitute. As the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the word, Jesus saw the Spirit descend like a dove 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
The father was pleased because Jesus was an acceptable sacrifice. Without spot or blemish, he could stand and receive God full wrath and make payment for sin with his sinless life and death in your place. And with that – his death on the cross - God’s wrath would be appeased.
51 Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth?
Well yes, we want to believe. Jesus said to bring the little children to him and not prohibit them. He hoped to gather Jerusalem to himself like a hen gathers her chick under her wings. He told the woman found in adultery to go and sin no more after her accusers left and Jesus said neither do I accuse you. So yes, we want Jesus to bring peace. But he says:
No, I tell you, but rather division. 52 For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three.
Ill.
A story is told of John Wesley and a dream that he had. Whether the story is apocryphal – well known but probably not true – or not. The principal has merit for us all.
In the dream, he was ushered to the gates of Hell. There he asked, "Are there any Presbyterians here?" "Yes!" came the answer. Then he asked, "Are there any Baptists? Any Episcopalians? Any Methodists? [Any Catholics and Lutherans"] The answer each time was Yes!
Much distressed, Wesley was then ushered to the gates of Heaven. There he asked the same question, and the answer was No! "No?" To this, Wesley asked, "Who then is inside?" The answer came back, "There are only Christians here." (1 Corinthians 1:10-17)
Source Unknown.
53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
The devil delights in division. He delights in apathy. He delights is discord. He delights in death. He delights in whispering in your ear. “You’re a pretty good person. You’ve helped many in need and done good things. You know right from wrong and there are certainly many others who do much less than you. God will be pleased with you!”
Families are divided. The church is too. The world is broken in sin. Children are killed in the womb, the elderly euthanized and many call it good. If you believe that the right choice this November will solve the world’s problems you are sadly mistaken. Yes, do your civic responsibility. Vote, but do not put you hope in princes and Kings or horses and chariots.
51 Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? [Jesus says.] No, I tell you, but rather division.
The world and its leaders can bring no real peace and the peace of Christ divides believers from unbelievers.
18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”
20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles
Ill.
Martin Luther wrote: "All the prophets did foresee in Spirit that Christ should become the greatest transgressor, murderer, adulterer, thief, rebel, blasphemer, etc., that ever was or could be in all the world. For he, being made a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world is not now an innocent person and without sins...but a sinner." He was, of course, talking about the imputing of our wrongdoing to Christ as our substitute.
Luther continues: "Our most merciful Father...sent his only Son into the world and laid upon him...the sins of all men saying: Be thou Peter that denier; Paul that persecutor, blasphemer and cruel oppressor; David that adulterer; that sinner which did eat the apple in Paradise; that thief which hanged upon the cross; and briefly be thou the person which hath committed the sins of all men; see therefore that thou pay and satisfy for them. Here now comes the law and saith: I find him a sinner...therefore let him die upon the cross. And so he setteth upon him and killeth him. By this means the whole world is purged and cleansed from all sins."
The presentation of the death of Christ as the substitute exhibits the love of the cross more richly, fully, gloriously, and glowingly than any other account of it. Luther saw this and gloried in it. He once wrote to a friend: "Learn to know Christ and him crucified. Learn to sing to him, and say, 'Lord Jesus, you are my righteousness, I am your sin. You have taken upon yourself what is mine and given me what is yours. You became what you were not, so that I might become what I was not.'"
What a great and wonderful exchange! Was there ever such love?
Your Father Loves You by James Packer, Harold Shaw Publishers, 1986, Page October 20.
Dear friends, the brokenness of this world will not get better. But Christ has secured your rescue in a world that will be destroyed.
9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. 2 Peter 3:9-10
Christ is our hope and rescue. You are marked as one redeemed by Christ the Crucified. You have God’s favor on you because when he sees you he sees Jesus. May that be you strength and comfort.
It in a way it explains the cross. Not as peace and comfort but as agony and death. Not as accomplishing anything good … but only something bad that shouldn’t have happened, we think. What truly lies beyond the cross … the resurrection of Jesus and salvation that he gives is unable to be seen through the eyes of self and can only be received as a gift through the eyes of faith.
49 “I came to cast fire on the earth, [Jesus says] and would that it were already kindled! 50 I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished!
What fire is Jesus talking about? Why is he anxious and distressed? And what does baptism have to do with it?
Well, the fire is the wrath of God cast down from heaven on the earth as punishment for sin; and yes Jesus wants it done with and finished. He also has a baptism to be baptized with – not of washing away sin - but of receiving the sins of the whole world upon him so that God’s wrath might be focused in one place, on Jesus, once and for all. That brings Jesus great distress because his baptism is a bloody baptism.
As Christ was baptized by John he was marked for you and me and all as our substitute. As the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the word, Jesus saw the Spirit descend like a dove 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
The father was pleased because Jesus was an acceptable sacrifice. Without spot or blemish, he could stand and receive God full wrath and make payment for sin with his sinless life and death in your place. And with that – his death on the cross - God’s wrath would be appeased.
51 Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth?
Well yes, we want to believe. Jesus said to bring the little children to him and not prohibit them. He hoped to gather Jerusalem to himself like a hen gathers her chick under her wings. He told the woman found in adultery to go and sin no more after her accusers left and Jesus said neither do I accuse you. So yes, we want Jesus to bring peace. But he says:
No, I tell you, but rather division. 52 For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three.
Ill.
A story is told of John Wesley and a dream that he had. Whether the story is apocryphal – well known but probably not true – or not. The principal has merit for us all.
In the dream, he was ushered to the gates of Hell. There he asked, "Are there any Presbyterians here?" "Yes!" came the answer. Then he asked, "Are there any Baptists? Any Episcopalians? Any Methodists? [Any Catholics and Lutherans"] The answer each time was Yes!
Much distressed, Wesley was then ushered to the gates of Heaven. There he asked the same question, and the answer was No! "No?" To this, Wesley asked, "Who then is inside?" The answer came back, "There are only Christians here." (1 Corinthians 1:10-17)
Source Unknown.
53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
The devil delights in division. He delights in apathy. He delights is discord. He delights in death. He delights in whispering in your ear. “You’re a pretty good person. You’ve helped many in need and done good things. You know right from wrong and there are certainly many others who do much less than you. God will be pleased with you!”
Families are divided. The church is too. The world is broken in sin. Children are killed in the womb, the elderly euthanized and many call it good. If you believe that the right choice this November will solve the world’s problems you are sadly mistaken. Yes, do your civic responsibility. Vote, but do not put you hope in princes and Kings or horses and chariots.
51 Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? [Jesus says.] No, I tell you, but rather division.
The world and its leaders can bring no real peace and the peace of Christ divides believers from unbelievers.
18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”
20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles
Ill.
Martin Luther wrote: "All the prophets did foresee in Spirit that Christ should become the greatest transgressor, murderer, adulterer, thief, rebel, blasphemer, etc., that ever was or could be in all the world. For he, being made a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world is not now an innocent person and without sins...but a sinner." He was, of course, talking about the imputing of our wrongdoing to Christ as our substitute.
Luther continues: "Our most merciful Father...sent his only Son into the world and laid upon him...the sins of all men saying: Be thou Peter that denier; Paul that persecutor, blasphemer and cruel oppressor; David that adulterer; that sinner which did eat the apple in Paradise; that thief which hanged upon the cross; and briefly be thou the person which hath committed the sins of all men; see therefore that thou pay and satisfy for them. Here now comes the law and saith: I find him a sinner...therefore let him die upon the cross. And so he setteth upon him and killeth him. By this means the whole world is purged and cleansed from all sins."
The presentation of the death of Christ as the substitute exhibits the love of the cross more richly, fully, gloriously, and glowingly than any other account of it. Luther saw this and gloried in it. He once wrote to a friend: "Learn to know Christ and him crucified. Learn to sing to him, and say, 'Lord Jesus, you are my righteousness, I am your sin. You have taken upon yourself what is mine and given me what is yours. You became what you were not, so that I might become what I was not.'"
What a great and wonderful exchange! Was there ever such love?
Your Father Loves You by James Packer, Harold Shaw Publishers, 1986, Page October 20.
Dear friends, the brokenness of this world will not get better. But Christ has secured your rescue in a world that will be destroyed.
9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. 2 Peter 3:9-10
Christ is our hope and rescue. You are marked as one redeemed by Christ the Crucified. You have God’s favor on you because when he sees you he sees Jesus. May that be you strength and comfort.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.
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