Luke 12:49-56
Introduction
CS Lewis wrote one of the most endearing Christian books
titled The Lion, The Witch and
Wardrobe. In the book, Jesus is represented by a Lion named Aslan. The
four children who are finally introduced to Aslan by Mr. and Mrs. Beaver
(literally beavers) are not quite sure they want to meet him.
Mr. Beaver says to them: “Wrong
will be right, when Aslan comes in sight, At the sound of his roar, sorrows
will be no more, When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death And when he
shakes his mane, we shall have spring again. You'll understand when you see him."
"But shall we see
him?" asked Susan. "Why,
Daughter of Eve, that's what I brought you here for. I'm to lead you where you
shall meet him," said Mr. Beaver. "Is- is he a man?" asked Lucy.
"Aslan a man!"
said Mr. Beaver sternly. "Certainly
not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great
Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea. Don't you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a
lion- THE Lion, the great Lion."
"Ooh!"
said Susan, "I'd thought he was a
man. Is he - quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion."
"That you will, dearie, and no
mistake," said Mrs. Beaver, "if
anyone … can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either
braver than most or else just silly." "Then he isn't safe?" asked Lucy.
"Safe?"
said Mr. Beaver. "Don't you hear
what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn't
safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."[1]
Jesus Christ came to bring judgment
to the earth. But, there is good news: He is safe because he is good. And because
Christ is good, we can stand firm in the faith as we encounter the judgment of
the world.
There are three points I want to make:
First, Jesus has accepted your judgment
upon himself. Second, Jesus calls us to
endure the judgment of the world. And lastly, Jesus calls us to declare the gospel to that same world.
I
Jesus says, “I came to bring
fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I
have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it
is completed!
In the days of westward expansion in
The word fire in
this passage refers to the judgment of God upon the world. Apart from Jesus
Christ, there is no escaping the fire or judgment that rightly belongs to you
and me because of our sin. But God is good. God has given God’s own Son Jesus
Christ to accept your judgment and my judgment upon himself in his suffering
and death. He absorbed the judgment of the sin of the whole world in the grave.
And he defeated it thoroughly through his resurrection. Therefore, there is
only one safe place to stand and that is where the fire of God's judgment has already
burned: in Christ.
The scriptures often speak of those whom God has claimed as
God’s own as being “in Christ.” Now, we Presbyterians do not believe that
salvation consists solely of a walk to the front of the sanctuary and the
reciting of a prayer. No! Salvation is a three-phase, life-long matter. The
three phases are these: we are saved;
we are being saved and we will be saved. Upon profession of
faith in Jesus Christ, we are saved.
As we persevere in the faith throughout life, even with our failures, we are being saved. And those who
persevere will be saved upon the
return of Jesus Christ. That’s what it means to be in Christ. Salvation means
to stand today and every day in the place where the fire of God’s judgment has
already burned: in Christ.
God is good. And as Jesus
Christ God has borne your judgment.
II
But standing firm in Christ is not as
easy as it might sound. I am always amazed at those who claim that the
Christian life is easy. They need to read this passage. They need to hear the
testimonies of God’s people who have been ostracized by their families,
divorced by their spouse and overlooked for promotions because of their faith in
Jesus Christ. That is what Jesus is talking about here: it isn’t easy. Jesus calls you and me to endure the
judgment of the world.
Paul wrote in Philippians 1, “…it has been granted to you on
behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him…”[2] In John
15:20, Jesus says, “…If they persecuted
me, they will persecute you also.”[3]
During
That is standing where the fire of
God’s judgment has already burned. That is perseverance in the faith. That is
participation in the life of Jesus Christ: his whole life, not just the easy
part.
Martin Luther once wrote: “If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every
portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world
and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however
boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of
the soldier is proved. To be steady on all battle fronts besides is mere flight
and disgrace if he flinches at that point.”
In Christ, peace is defined, not as the absence of conflict, but as the
fulfillment of the will of God. Jesus Christ
has accepted your judgment upon himself. And he calls you and me to endure the judgment of the world.
III
Many would-be persecutors can read the signs in the skies but
they do not know the one who gave the sky for our viewing. They know much, but
they lack life. Jesus refers to them as hypocrites.
It is so tragic that they can predict the movements of the
heavenly bodies, split atoms, and placed people on the moon. But, so many are
blind to what God is doing in the world. They know how to get to the stars, but
they do not know how to get to heaven![5]
They live with a great disadvantage. They have yet to be
claimed by God in Christ. That means that they cannot choose in favor of God.
So, who are we to look down our noses at them? Who are we to think that we are
better? For, we are ourselves indebted to the grace of God and to the God of
grace. We should declare with the Apostle Paul, “10
But by the grace of God I am what I
am…”[6]
However, they can come to faith in Christ, for there is not a
man woman or child in this world beyond the grasp of this one truth: that Christ
has accepted upon himself the judgment of the sin of the world. It is for you
and for me to rid ourselves of the “us” and “them” mentality and in
faithfulness to God, seek to introduce them to the Savior. It is for you and me
to proclaim to them the gospel, which is the power of God for the salvation of
all who believe.
To participate in the life of Christ means to love as Jesus loves.
It means to stand for something. To stand for justice is to stand against
injustice. To stand for truth is to oppose hypocrisy and falsehood. To stand
for Jesus Christ is to persevere in the faith, modeling and proclamation the
gospel even in the midst of persecution; even when division is caused; even and
especially to would-be persecutors.
God forbid that we would be like the man about whom this poem
was written. It says, “Popularity was his
middle name. Its prod was pride, its price was pain. He never learned the word
called, ‘no.’ They spoke of him as good old Joe. His life was one long laughing
spell, and how he felt you couldn't tell. His favorite words were ‘yes,’ and
‘sure.’ Yes, good old Joe was Simon Pure. So when he died they wrote these
lines, and laid him down midst whispering pines. ‘Here lies a man - his name
was Joe. But what he stood for, we'll never know.’"[7]
Conclusion
What do you stand for this morning? You
can stand firm in the faith of Jesus Christ because He is good. You can stand because you reside in Christ; that place
where the fire of God’s judgment has already burned. You can stand in the midst
of persecution for the sake of your persecutors.
So, stand confidently in the faith
because Jesus Christ has accepted your
judgment upon himself. Stand boldly as you engage the judgment of the world. Stand purposefully as you declare the gospel to the world. You can
do so because Jesus Christ is good. Where do you stand this morning?
[1] Brett Blair, www.eSermons.com, August 2001. Quote: CS
Lewis, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe,
[2] The Holy Bible : New International Version.
[3] The Holy Bible : New International Version.
[4] Today
in the Word, February, 1989, p. 17.
[5]Wiersbe, Warren W.: The Bible Exposition Commentary.
[6] The Holy Bible : English Standard Version.
[7] From a sermon by W. Robert McClelland titled A Faith That Burns. Obtained from www.eSermons.com