The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
\nAugust 14, 2016
\nLuke 12:49-53<\/p>\n
\u201cI have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!\u00a0 But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed!\u00a0 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth?\u00a0 No, I tell you, but division.\u00a0 From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three.\u00a0 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 Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,<\/p>\n Imagine for a moment that you are a dyed-in-the-wool Cardinal fan.\u00a0 I know.\u00a0 I know.\u00a0\u00a0 For some of you that may be extremely difficult, but give me some latitude here.\u00a0 A friend of yours (who happens to be a Golden Bears fan, but you try not to hold that against them) has an extra ticket for The Big Game\u2014 you know the one I am talking about, the game between the Cardinals and the Golden Bears.\u00a0 He wants to know if you will go to the game with him as his guest.\u00a0 You automatically accept!<\/p>\n Now imagine that it\u2019s Saturday, November nineteenth.\u00a0 You\u2019re sitting in California Memorial Stadium surrounded by a sea of blue and gold.\u00a0 You, of course, are proudly wearing your sweatshirt with a large cardinal \u201cS\u201d on it.\u00a0 The game quickly turns into a blowout.\u00a0 Your beloved Cardinals are marching up and down the field almost at will.\u00a0 The offense looks like a well-oiled machine.\u00a0 The defense is all but a thing of beauty.\u00a0 Being an avid fan you jump up and cheer every time the defense stops the Golden Bears in their tracks.\u00a0 Being an avid fan you stand up and sing \u201cAll Right Now\u201d with a big ol\u2019 smile on your face every time the offense scores.\u00a0 Do you think that you could expect maybe a little bit of trouble from the sea of blue and gold that literally surrounds you?<\/p>\n It is not difficult for us to image ourselves in a situation where we can expect trouble, is it.\u00a0 In fact, many of us can probably remember a time or two when we had to prepare ourselves for the trouble that we knew we were going to encounter simply because of the situation we were in.<\/p>\n If you can imagine singing \u201cAll Right Now\u201d in California Memorial Stadium surrounded by a sea of blue and gold, if you can remember preparing yourself for the trouble that you knew was coming your way then it will be very easy for you to understand what your Savior is saying to you here in our text for today.\u00a0 This morning let\u2019s see how these words of Jesus remind us that:\u00a0 As Disciples of Jesus\u2014 We Can Expect Trouble.<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 There are two questions we want to address today.\u00a0 The first question is:\u00a0 What is the source of this trouble?\u00a0 The second question is:\u00a0 What is the result of this trouble?<\/p>\n What is the source of the trouble that you and I can expect to endure as disciples of Jesus?\u00a0 While the answer to that question may sound a little shocking at first, the answer is\u2014 Jesus!\u00a0 How can that possibly be?\u00a0 Look at what Jesus Himself says in the opening words of our text, \u201cI have come to bring fire on earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Fire can do one of two things.\u00a0 Fire can destroy and fire can purify.\u00a0 Wild fires and house fires can cause tremendous destruction.\u00a0 But, fire in a kiln can strengthen pottery and fire in a furnace can purify gold.\u00a0 So also, the \u201cfire\u201d<\/em> that Jesus brings on earth, the \u201cfire\u201d<\/em> that Jesus brings into our lives has those same two effects.<\/p>\n In our Old Testament lesson for today (Jeremiah 23:23-29) the Lord God says to us, \u201c\u2019Is not my word like fire,\u2019 declares the LORD, \u2018and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?\u2019\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 This is the powerful message of God\u2019s Law, my friends!\u00a0 People can say whatever they want about God\u2019s holy Word.\u00a0 People can believe whatever they want about God\u2019s holy Word.\u00a0 In the end\u2014 whether it\u2019s at the end of their life or at the end of this world\u2014 in the end the \u201cfire\u201d<\/em> of God\u2019s holy, powerful, unchanging Word is the standard, the guide, the rule that will be used to judge all beliefs, all actions, all people.\u00a0 At the very same time, Scripture tells us that God uses the \u201cfire\u201d<\/em> of affliction and the \u201cfire\u201d<\/em> of persecution to strengthen and to purify the faith of His disciples here on this earth.\u00a0 (See Isaiah 48:10; Zechariah 13:9; Malachi 3:2-4; I Peter 1:6, 7)<\/p>\n Here in our text Jesus that He knew exactly what His work here on this earth would do.\u00a0 It would bring this kind of \u201cfire on the earth.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Every false teaching and every false teacher can and one day will be destroyed by the \u201cfire\u201d<\/em> of God\u2019s holy unchanging Word.\u00a0 Every disciple of Jesus\u2014 including us\u2014 can expect to experience the \u201cfire\u201d<\/em> which on the one hand is the \u201cfire\u201d<\/em> of persecution while on the other hand is the \u201cfire\u201d<\/em> of purification for our faith and our life.<\/p>\n The comfort that we have as we endure this \u201cfire\u201d<\/em> in our lives is found in Jesus\u2019 words, \u201cBut I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed!\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Jesus is not talking here about the \u201cbaptism\u201d<\/em> that He received from John in the Jordan River.\u00a0 Here Jesus is talking about the \u201cbaptism,\u201d<\/em> the \u201cwashing,\u201d<\/em> the \u201cpurification\u201d<\/em> that He will undergo on the cross of Calvary\u2019s hill!<\/p>\n For us as disciples of Jesus this is Gospel, my friends!\u00a0 Pure sweet Gospel!\u00a0 Jesus took all the filth and all the stench of all our sins upon Himself\u2014 including that \u201cpet\u201d sin that we all too easily commit, including that \u201chorrible\u201d sin that we still can\u2019t believe we actually committed\u2014 Jesus took all the filth and all the stench of all of our sins upon Himself.\u00a0 And then, as the writer to the Hebrews reminded us this morning, when we stay focused on Jesus what do we see?\u00a0 We see \u201cthe author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of God.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 The \u201cjoy\u201d<\/em> that Jesus kept His eyes focused on as He made His way to the cross was the \u201cjoy\u201d<\/em> of our<\/strong> salvation!\u00a0 Jesus knew that on that cross He would be \u201cwashed clean\u201d<\/em> of all the sins that He had willingly taken upon Himself!\u00a0 Do you know what that means?\u00a0 That means that our <\/strong>sins are gone!\u00a0 That means that our sins are <\/strong>forgiven\u2014 including that \u201cpet\u201d sin that so easily overtakes us, including that \u201chorrible\u201d sin that Satan still uses to keep us up at night!\u00a0 That\u2019s why Jesus says here in our text, \u201cI have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed!\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Jesus could hardly wait for the moment that He could victoriously declare from the cross, \u201cIt is finished!\u201d\u00a0 \u201cI have reached my goal!\u201d\u00a0 \u201cYour salvation is complete!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Yes, my friends, as shocking as it may sound at first, Jesus (Pointing to the cross) is the source of the troubles that we can expect in our lives as we strive to openly live as His disciples here in this sinful world.\u00a0 But let\u2019s praise God for those troubles!\u00a0 That \u201cfire\u201d<\/em> that Jesus brought on the earth, the \u201cfire\u201d<\/em> that we experience in our lives as Jesus\u2019 disciples is a testimony to our connection to Jesus, \u201cthe author and perfecter of our faith\u201d<\/em>!<\/p>\n Sadly, however, not everyone believes in Jesus as their Savior.\u00a0 Sadly, not everyone trusts in what the Son of God has accomplished for them on the cross of Calvary\u2019s hill.\u00a0 That sad reality leads us to the second question we need to address this morning:\u00a0 What is the result of the trouble that we can expect to encounter as disciples of Jesus?\u00a0 Look at what our Lord says in the second portion of our text, \u201cDo you think I came to bring peace on earth?\u00a0 No, I tell you, but division.\u00a0 From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three.\u00a0 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 \u201cDo you think I came to bring peace on earth?\u00a0 No, I tell you, but division.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 What?\u00a0 What happened to Jesus being the \u201cPrince of Peace\u201d<\/em>?\u00a0 (Isaiah 9:6)\u00a0 What happened to the angels\u2019 message of \u201cGlory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests\u201d<\/em>?\u00a0 (Luke 2:14)\u00a0 The peace foretold by the prophet Isaiah, the peace announced by the Christmas angels is the peace that the risen Christ proclaimed to His frightened disciples on that first Easter Sunday when He showed them His hands and His side and proclaimed, \u201cPeace be with you!\u201d<\/em> (See John 19:19-23)\u00a0 It is the peace that Jesus has now established between God and us.\u00a0 It is the peace that comes from the forgiveness of sins purely by grace through faith in who Jesus is and what Jesus has done for us.\u00a0 (See John 20:19-23; Romans 5:1)<\/p>\n Conversely, the peace that Jesus is talking about here in our text is earthly peace.\u00a0 The eternal Son of God did not leave the glory and perfection of heaven, humble Himself by becoming our true Brother, allow Himself to be beaten, mocked and nailed to a cross simply to put an end to all wars and all hostilities and all disagreements between sinners here on this earth (at least not while the earth is still standing in its present form).\u00a0 No, rather, the truth that Jesus is <\/strong>the eternal Son of God who left the glory and perfection of His heavenly home and humbled Himself by coming into this world as our true Brother, the truth that Jesus lived a perfect life in our place and then allowed Himself to be beaten and mocked and nailed to a cross in order to pay for our sins, the truth that Jesus then victoriously rise to life on the third day to prove that He is this world\u2019s only <\/strong>Savior from sin\u2014 that <\/strong>is what truth divides the entire human race into two categories:\u00a0 believers and unbelievers, sheep and goats.\u00a0 (See Mathew 25:31ff)\u00a0 That <\/strong>truth is what divides people right down to this very day.<\/p>\n Try posting something on Facebook about Jesus being the eternal Son of the one and only living God and that Allah is nothing more than an idol, a figment of people\u2019s imagination.\u00a0 How many \u201cLikes\u201d do you think you will get?\u00a0 Try asking someone who says they are a Christian, someone who may even go to church on a regular basis, ask them how they reconcile their support of a woman\u2019s so-called \u201cright\u201d to kill her unborn child, or people\u2019s so-called \u201cright\u201d to enter into a same-sex marriage with the Bible\u2019s clear condemnation of both!\u00a0 It won\u2019t take long to see and to hear and to experience the fact that the Truth that Jesus proclaims here in His Word does indeed \u201cdivide\u201d<\/em> people.<\/p>\n And as Jesus brings out here in our text, sometimes His truth even divides families.\u00a0 I have seen this type of division within a family.\u00a0 Perhaps you have seen it as well.\u00a0 One family member faithfully attends church as often as they can while another family member laughs at them and says that they have \u201cmore important\u201d things to do.\u00a0 The way they see it, as long as they make it to church on Christmas and Easter that\u2019s \u201cgood enough.\u201d\u00a0 One family member faithfully strives to live their life in such a way that everyone knows that Jesus is this world\u2019s only <\/strong>Savior from sin, while another family member maintains that it doesn\u2019t make any difference which <\/strong>religion someone follows because they all <\/strong>worship the same \u201cgod,\u201d they just call him\/her by a different name.\u00a0 How do we handle that type of division in the family?\u00a0 Do we ostracize that person\u2014 cut them off from the family and refuse to even speak to them?\u00a0 No, we do not.\u00a0 Do we love them any less?\u00a0 Absolutely not!\u00a0 In fact, our heart may yearn even more deeply for that individual because we so dearly want them to believe in Jesus so that they can spend eternity with us in heaven!<\/p>\n We can, however, expect trouble when there is this type of division in a family.\u00a0 We can expect trouble because our love for that person will not allow us to condone their sin.\u00a0 We can expect trouble because our love for our dear Lord and Savior will not allow any<\/strong> idol or any <\/strong>false teaching to be given an equal footing with the one true God and His holy Truth.\u00a0 We can expect trouble because our love for the gift of faith which God has graciously created in our heart will not allow us to starve our soul by not coming to church, by not receiving His holy Supper, by not making time to read and study His holy Word.\u00a0 We can expect trouble because our love for our own soul\u2019s salvation\u2014 the salvation the Son of God secured for us on the cross\u2014 will not allow us to leave our Savior\u2019s side no matter who is standing on the other side of the line that divides the sheep from the goats.<\/p>\n If you can imagine standing up in Stanford Stadium proudly wearing your blue and gold shirt and loudly singing \u201cFight for California\u201d while surrounded by a sea of white shirts with a big cardinal \u201cS\u201d on them, if you can remember preparing yourself for the trouble that you knew was coming your way simply because of the situation you were in, then you can understand what Jesus is saying to you here in our text.\u00a0 As disciples of Jesus\u2014 we can expect troubles!<\/p>\n May the good Lord grant that recognizing the source of these troubles and realizing the results of these troubles will enable us to rejoice even as we encounter these troubles in our lives.<\/p>\n To God be the glory!<\/p>\n Amen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost August 14, 2016 Luke 12:49-53 \u201cI have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!\u00a0 But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed!\u00a0 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth?\u00a0 No, I tell you, but division.\u00a0 From 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