Skip to main content

253. The Divisiveness of Christ's Call

Luke 12:49-53
Key Verse: "Do you think I came to bring peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but division."
Luke 12:51

We can see in this passage how frustrated God is with evil. Yet, we also see how patient He is to do what must be done, in the proper order, to conquer evil fully and completely. When we began this journey, and looked at the first sin that brought evil into the world, we said that God was faced with a choice. He could take what had been broken and sweep it into the garbage, or painstakingly put the pieces together again to make the creation whole. If God had taken the first choice and began over again, what would have prevented Satan from just destroying that creation as well, creating a cycle of frustration for God of creation and destruction? We said that God obviously made a different choice because of love.

Today, Jesus says, "I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed!" (Luke 12:49-50) If the fire were to come before Jesus had provided a means of escape through His death and resurrection, it would have been no different than destroying creation at the beginning. Christ first had to provide a means of escape for those who choose to follow Him, to rescue them and separate them from the evil around them.

Paul says: "Don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." (Romans 6:3-4)

That is how the division comes. We who have been made alive in Christ have become separated from those who are still dead in their sin. We do not get to heaven based on our family ties. We do not get to heaven based on our behavior. The only way to the Father is through Jesus Christ, taking on His death and being raised with him to new life. When you become a Christian, you become separated from those around you who are not. That's why it is so essential that all of us work to bring our loved ones to Christ. We must see ourselves on a rescue mission, bringing others to the throne of grace to receive the new life that He offers so that we can not only reign with Him, but live with them forever.

He is the dividing line yes, because He cannot live with evil. In love, however, He is also the way through the division for all who will receive and follow His lead.


Hymn: "Heaven Came Down and Glory Filled My Soul" 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

October 27 Save the Glaze for the Bunny

Like a coating of glaze over earthenware are fervent lips of an evil heart. A malicious man disguises himself with his lips. But in his heart, he harbors deceit. Though his speech is charming, do not believe him, for seven abominations fill his heart. His malice may be concealed by deception, but his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly. If a man digs a pit, he will fall into it. If a man rolls a stone, it will roll back on him. ~Proverbs 26:23-28 For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain. Even one of their own prophets has said, “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.” This testimony is true. Therefore, rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of those who reject the truth. T...
Post a Comment
Read more

211. The Sons of Thunder's Request

Matthew 20:20-28 , Mark 10:35-45 , Key verse: "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all." Mark 10:43B-44 In our readings for yesterday, in which Jesus outlined what was about to happen to Him, for His disciples, the passage in Luke ends: "The disciples did not understand any of this. It's meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what He was talking about." ( Luke 18:34 ) Now, we see just how truly clueless they were. Jesus had laid out a plan before them of pain and suffering and death and now James and John are focused on a promotion. The disconnect is so obvious. It's really not important to know whether James and john came up with this request on their own or if their mother put them up to it. The request was made and James and John thought that they could handle the responsibility that would come with it. What is that saying, "Fools rush in where angels fe...
Post a Comment
Read more

January 24 You’ll See, He Remembers

The wise inherit honor, but fools He holds up to shame. ~Proverbs 3:35 “Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds.” ~Isaiah 3:10 “God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” ~Hebrews 6:10-12 “The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them. The sins of others trail behind them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden.” ~1 Timothy 5:24-25 “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” ~Matthew 12:36-3...
Post a Comment
Read more