{"id":1751,"date":"2022-09-04T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-04T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/?p=1751"},"modified":"2022-09-11T21:38:10","modified_gmt":"2022-09-12T04:38:10","slug":"thirteenth-sunday-after-pentecost-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/2022\/09\/04\/thirteenth-sunday-after-pentecost-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Pentecost-13-09-04-22.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Luke 12:49-53<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jesus Warned Us!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cI have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!&nbsp; But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed!&nbsp; Do you think I came to bring peace on earth?&nbsp; No, I tell you, but division.&nbsp; From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three.&nbsp; 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.\u201d<\/em>(NIV1984)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When we look around in our world today and see the multiple wars that are taking place and the countless people who are suffering because of those wars, we shouldn\u2019t be surprised!&nbsp; Why?&nbsp; Because Jesus warned us that this would happen!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When we see\u2014 and experience\u2014 the pandemics that are raging all across the world, we shouldn\u2019t be surprised!&nbsp; Why?&nbsp; Because Jesus warned us that this would happen!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When we hear about famines and floods, earthquakes and other natural disasters, we shouldn\u2019t be surprised!&nbsp; Why?&nbsp; Because Jesus warned us that this would happen!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When we see wickedness openly promoted and defended in schools, on television, in movies and even by our government, we shouldn\u2019t be surprised!&nbsp; Why?&nbsp; Because Jesus warned us that this would happen!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When we see preachers and churches tailoring the message they are proclaiming in an effort not to offend anyone, we shouldn\u2019t be surprised!&nbsp; Why?&nbsp; Because Jesus warned us that this would happen!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A quick cursory reading of our sermon text for today could leave us somewhat confused.&nbsp; Since Jesus\u2019 words here in our text could be confusing, since Jesus\u2019 words here in our text could appear to contradict what some people\u2014 and even some churches!\u2014 teach about Jesus, my goal this morning is to help us see and understand that Jesus is using these words to prepare His disciples.&nbsp; He wanted to prepare them for what they would encounter in their lives as they strive to remain faithful to Jesus as this world\u2019s <strong>only <\/strong>Savior from sin.&nbsp; With that goal in mind let\u2019s study this text with this truth in mind:&nbsp; <strong><em>Jesus Warned Us!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I see three warnings contained in this text.&nbsp; The first warning is found in Jesus\u2019 words, <em>\u201cI have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!\u201d<\/em>&nbsp; What is the <em>\u201cfire\u201d<\/em> that Jesus is talking about here?&nbsp; When we look at the larger context in which we find these words, it seems clear that Jesus is warning us about the <em>\u201cpainful trials\u201d<\/em> that Jesus\u2019 disciples will suffer as they faithfully proclaim God\u2019s holy Word to an unholy world.&nbsp; This ties in very well with what the Lord God reminded Jeremiah in our Old Testament lesson for today (Jeremiah 23:23-29), <em>\u201c\u2019Is not my word like fire,\u2019 declares the L<\/em><em>ORD<\/em><em>, \u2018and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How is God\u2019s Word like <em>\u201cfire\u201d<\/em>?&nbsp; The answer to that question becomes clear when we stop to realize that fire has the power to do two things.&nbsp; As we all know from living here in California fire has the ability to destroy.&nbsp; It can destroy just about anything in its path.&nbsp; What is the <em>\u201cfire\u201d<\/em> contained in the Word of God?&nbsp; In one word:&nbsp; Law.&nbsp; God\u2019s Law has the power to destroy our pride and our ego.&nbsp; God\u2019s Law has the power to destroy our reliance on ourselves and our own good works.&nbsp; Ultimately, God\u2019s Law has the power to condemn unrepentant sinners to the eternal fires of hell!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fire also has the ability to purify, doesn\u2019t it.&nbsp; If you want to purify gold or silver you put it into a furnace to \u201cburn off\u201d the dross.&nbsp; This ties in very well with the fact that God\u2019s Word also contains the powerful purifying message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!&nbsp; John the Baptist proclaimed concerning Jesus, <em>\u201cI baptize you with water.&nbsp; But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.&nbsp; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire\u201d<\/em>( Luke 3:16).&nbsp; On the first New Testament day of Pentecost <em>\u201ctongues of fire\u201d<\/em> rested on the heads of Jesus\u2019 disciples.&nbsp; (Acts 2:3)&nbsp; In the Sacrament of Holy Baptism God the Holy Spirit uses the powerful purifying message of the Gospel to wash us clean of all of our sins and give us a beautiful white robe of perfect righteousness.&nbsp; In the Sacrament of Holy Communion God the Holy Spirit uses the powerful purifying message of the Gospel to \u201cclean\u201d our robes of any \u201cspots\u201d we may have gotten on them.&nbsp; In His holy Word God the Holy Spirit uses the powerful purifying message of the Gospel to assure us that <em>\u201cthe blood of Jesus his Son has purified us from all sin\u201d<\/em> (1 John 1:7).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cI have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!\u201d<\/em>&nbsp; How do those words of our Savior serve as a warning to us?&nbsp; Look at it this way:&nbsp; When we are faithfully sharing God\u2019s Word with others\u2014 <strong>both <\/strong>Law <strong>and <\/strong>Gospel\u2014 the reaction we receive may not be the reaction we were hoping for.&nbsp; When we use the <em>\u201cfire\u201d<\/em> of God\u2019s Law to reveal someone\u2019s sin and this results in ridicule and maybe even rejection, we will be sad, but we should not be surprised.&nbsp; Why?&nbsp; Because Jesus warned us that this could happen!&nbsp; Do we stop sharing God\u2019s Law so that we do not run the risk of being ridiculed or rejected?&nbsp; Not at all!&nbsp; We may want to remember, however, what Jesus tells us in Luke 10:16, <em>\u201cHe who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jesus\u2019 second warning is found in His words, <em>\u201cBut I have a baptism to undergo, and how stressed I am until it is completed!\u201d<\/em>&nbsp; Since Jesus had already been baptized by His cousin John in the Jordan River (Matthew 3:13-17) what <em>\u201cbaptism\u201d<\/em> is He talking about here?&nbsp; The picture becomes clear when we remember the request of James and John.&nbsp; They came to Jesus and asked, <em>\u201cLet one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory\u201d<\/em> (Mark 10:37).&nbsp; Jesus responded by saying to them, <em>\u201cYou don\u2019t know what you are asking.&nbsp; Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?\u201d<\/em>&nbsp; When James and John assured Jesus that they could do this, He revealed to them, <em>\u201cYou will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant.\u201d<\/em> (See Mark 10:35-40)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <em>\u201dbaptism\u201d<\/em> that Jesus is talking about here in our text is the suffering and the death that He was willing to endure in order to secure our eternal salvation.&nbsp; In a very real way we can say that Jesus\u2019 baptism in the Jordan River publicly set Him on the path that led Him to the cross on Calvary\u2019s hill.&nbsp; (Pointing to the cross)&nbsp; That truth became even more clear to me when I realized that the verb that is translated here in our text as <em>\u201cit is completed\u201d<\/em> comes from the very same family of words that is translated in John 19:31 as <em>\u201cIt is finished!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What is the warning that Jesus is giving us here?&nbsp; It is the very same warning that Jesus gave to James and to John.&nbsp; Being a faithful follower of Jesus means that we need to be ready to suffer\u2014 for Him!&nbsp; James was <em>\u201cput to death with the sword\u201d<\/em> (Acts 12:2).&nbsp; John was exiled to the island of Patmos <em>\u201cbecause of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus\u201d <\/em>(Revelation 1:9).&nbsp; While we don\u2019t know what suffering the Lord may ask us to endure as we strive to remain faithful to Him and to His Word, we need to remember that the <strong>only <\/strong>way to enter into the glory of Jesus\u2019 eternal kingdom is through suffering.&nbsp; As the apostle Paul tell us, <em>\u201cWe must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God\u201d<\/em> (Acts 14:22).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Standing up for Jesus, standing up for the Truth as it is revealed to us in God\u2019s holy Word, refusing to change what the Bible says in order to \u201cfit in\u201d or \u201cgo along\u201d with what the world is willing to \u201ctolerate,\u201d refusing to \u201cfall in line\u201d with what other churches are teaching\u2014 even though some of their teachings clearly contradict Scripture!\u2014 all of this and so much more can easily lead us to <em>\u201cexperience suffering.\u201d<\/em>&nbsp; Whenever that happens to us, my friends, we should not be surprised.&nbsp; Why? &nbsp;Because Jesus warned us that this would happen!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The third warning that our Savior gives to us here in our text is the most powerful as well as the most personal.&nbsp; He says, <em>\u201cDo you think I came to bring peace on earth?&nbsp; No, I tell you, but division.&nbsp; From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three.&nbsp; 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.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At first glance these words may sound rather shocking.&nbsp; We rejoice with God\u2019s people of old every time we hear the prophet Isaiah proclaim that the Promised Messiah will be <em>\u201cthe Prince of Peace\u201c<\/em> (Isaiah 9:6).&nbsp; We rejoice with the shepherds living out in the fields nearby as they hear the great company of heavenly host proclaim, <em>\u201cGlory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests\u201d<\/em> (Luke 2:14).&nbsp; We rejoice with the disciples when their risen Lord and Savior appeared to them on Easter Sunday and proclaimed to them, <em>\u201cPeace be with you!\u201d<\/em> (John 20:19).&nbsp; Our hearts are so accustomed to equating Jesus with peace that it can be difficult to hear our Savior say, <em>\u201cDo you think I came to bring peace on earth?&nbsp; No, I tell you, but division.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All of our confusion, all of our shock is dissipated like the morning fog when we stop to remember that the cross of Jesus Christ divides all people.&nbsp; (Pointing to the cross)&nbsp; For everyone who believes and trusts in Jesus as their <strong>only <\/strong>Savior from sin\u2014 there is peace! &nbsp;Unparalleled peace!&nbsp; Priceless peace!&nbsp; It is the peace that comes from knowing that through faith in what Jesus has done <strong>for<\/strong> us, we are at peace with the one and only living God because <strong>all <\/strong>of the sins that once separated us from God have been <strong>completely <\/strong>forgiven!&nbsp; This glorious truth sets us apart from everyone who does <strong>not <\/strong>believe and trust in Jesus.&nbsp; This glorious truth divides the entire human race into two groups\u2014 believers and unbelievers, sheep and goats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This division is obvious when we look around at what is happening in our country today.&nbsp; Far worse than the political divisions that only seem to be growing worse are the moral divisions\u2014 the divisions that as Christians we view from the perspective of Scripture.&nbsp; The debate over abortion has devolved from a disagreement over what abortion literally is\u2014 the killing of an unborn child\u2014 to a disagreement over a person\u2019s \u201cright\u201d to do whatever they choose to do with their own body.&nbsp; We are being told that if a person\/child who was born male now \u201cidentifies\u201d as being female, or a person\/child who was born female now \u201cidentifies\u201d as being male we must recognize and accept their \u201cnew identity.\u201d&nbsp; We can even face consequence if we address them using the \u201cwrong\u201d pronoun.&nbsp; In schools and in workplaces all across this county rules are being put into place to promote and defend moral teachings which we as Christians know are openly opposed to what God says in His Word.&nbsp; Violate any of these rules\u2014 even question any of these rules\u2014 and you will quickly experience the moral <em>\u201cdivision\u201d<\/em> that exists in our society today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sadly, as many Christians have experienced in the past and as many Christians experience right down to this very day, these divisions even exist in some families.&nbsp; I know families where the cross of Jesus Christ (Pointing to the cross), where faith in Jesus as the Son of God and this world\u2019s <strong>only <\/strong>Savior from sin has put a spotlight on this division, especially at certain times\u2014 like baptizing a child, celebrating Christmas and Easter or dealing with the death of a loved one.&nbsp; If you do not experience this division among your own family and friends\u2014 thank and praise God every single day!&nbsp; If you do experience this division within your own circle of family and friends\u2014 don\u2019t be surprised.&nbsp; Jesus warned us that this can happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jesus has indeed warned us, my friends.&nbsp; He has warned us that His powerful Word is like <em>\u201cfire\u201d\u2014<\/em> the Law to destroy, the Gospel to purify.&nbsp; He warned us that just as He willingly underwent a <em>\u201cbaptism\u201d<\/em> (Pointing to the cross) that overwhelmed Him with suffering so that He could secure the glory of our salvation, so also we need to willingly endure whatever <em>\u201cbaptism\u201d<\/em> of suffering we might encounter as we journey through this world so that we can enter into the glory of His heavenly Kingdom.&nbsp; And, Jesus warned us that while faithfulness to Him and faithfulness to His Word can cause <em>\u201cdivisions,\u201d <\/em>faithfulness also guarantees to us unity with God, a unity that will last into eternity!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To God be the glory!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Amen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Luke 12:49-53 Jesus Warned Us! \u201cI have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!&nbsp; But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed!&nbsp; Do you think I came to bring peace on earth?&nbsp; No, I tell you, but division.&nbsp; From now on there will be [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-worship-service-podcast"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1751"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1751\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1753,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1751\/revisions\/1753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1751"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.livingwordpetaluma.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}