Luke
12:49-56 NIV
49 “I have come to bring fire on the
earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a baptism to
undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! 51 Do you think I came to bring
peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52 From now on there will be
five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two
against three. 53 They will be divided, father against
son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against
mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against
mother-in-law.”
54 He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising
in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. 55 And when the south wind
blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. 56 Hypocrites! You know how to
interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t
know how to interpret this present time?
Fire! Division! Baptism!
This is some serious
stuff here. Back to “stuff” again, but in a different way.
Here Jesus draws us
into thinking about Fire and Division. Fire that purifies, fire that brings
judgment, fire that divides the world. Choose Good or Evil! Choose Light or Dark!
Yes, God comes to us in Jesus and divides us up.
Decide! Will you
confess Jesus as Lord? Pick sides!
Jesus coming will
divide mankind. Jesus coming in God to this place will set fire to it all!
AND Jesus wants
sudden flames, NOT peace and the easy life. NO… NOT NOW!
The TIME IS UP!
Respond before it’s too late!
As the Church Lady
from past episodes of Saturday Night Live might say, “Well that’s just not very
nice!”
Well, what about
this Division stuff. Yes, Jesus DID send fire on this world!
Here is the FIRE of
Jesus’ own suffering, death, AND His baptism into death. All predicting
divisions of Jesus’ own crucifixion.
Remember, as we move
along in Luke; Jesus is on the walk to Jerusalem. At the end of this walk with
Jesus’ disciples, followers, doubters, and just curious people, Jesus will
suffer, die, rise again and ascend into heaven. Keep this in mind.
Also keep in mind,
after this, how FIRE is the spread of the Gospel, the Holy Spirit, and how
quickly THIS kind of fire spread. And yet, somehow, we mix in division and
baptism into this whole thing.
Jesus is to be
baptized into HIS own, AND OUR, death.
In this division,
Jesus will suffer --- EVEN THOUGH --- AS PEACEMAKER --- there WILL BE conflict.
I’m sure we have the
Church Lady all confused by now….
AS Christians, don’t
we seek peace?
Paul says in Romans
12:18 --- “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace
with everyone.”
Likewise, Paul says
in Colossians 4:5 --- “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders: make the
most of every opportunity.”
BUT, bearing the
TRUTH WILL bring misunderstandings, hate, and evil… NO MATTER… how gentle we
may present the TRUTH OF JESUS.
We all doubt, and
this doubt will bring division. In the midst of our doubt in God we turn to God
for the gift of faith He so freely gives us. We turn to God and repent and seek
the forgiveness God so freely gives. BUT we can choose to turn away from the
gifts of God’s forgiveness and faith. YET that does not deny that God chooses
us and comes to us with forgiveness, faith and new life… day after day.
Even Jesus wanted
His coming suffering and death to be over with, at this point in His ministry,
as He walks to Jerusalem. Jesus knew He was to die in baptism. Jesus knew of
the approaching bitter death, suffering death, painful death. And yes, it’s
true, Jesus died.
Jesus was obedient
and faithful to the WILL of God the Father, FOR US!
Listen to the words
of Paul from Hebrews 4:15 … “For we do not have a high priest who is
unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted
in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.”
Again, in Hebrews 5:7-9 … “During the days
of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent
cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was
heard because of his reverent submission. Son though
he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal
salvation for all who obey him and was designated
by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.”
And there it IS! Did you hear it? Jesus is the
source of eternal salvation!
Look! God, through and IN Jesus was becoming ONE
with this world AND a NEW WORLD. One with this world, our world, of sin and
death. Why?
So that a NEW community, a NEW world would spring
to life and live eternally in THE Kingdom of God!
Fire and Division and Baptism…
The Kingdom of God IS HERE in Jesus. LOOK! And it
comes in a way that we least expect. Jesus puts to death OUR SIN. Jesus
forgives us and raises us to NEW Life, in this world and a NEW World in God’s
Kingdom.
Division --- Sure --- Jesus comes to divide us
from sin and death and to forgive us, granting us eternal life. All given! All
gifted! Jesus comes and chooses us to love us to death and to new life in Him.
Fire --- you bet! --- we are infused with the
fire that compels us through the Holy Spirit to shout out God’s gift of love to
all the world.
Baptism --- YES! --- each and every day we die to
sin and death through this awesome Gift of God that we had nothing to do for to
receive it!
Division---Fire---Death... today… tomorrow… and
forever! Thanks be to God!
Speaking of Fire – I leave you with this YouTube
Music Video to enjoy…
Consuming Fire
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iT0IvcEHjM&list=RD8iT0IvcEHjM&start_radio=1
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