Sermon – “Know What Manner of Spirit You Are Of” (Spirit of the Culture or the Spirit of Christ)
Scripture Lesson - Luke 9:51–56 “ And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.”
Introduction - The spirit of a culture is the prevailing attitudes, values, and behaviors around us are exceptionally powerful and almost inevitably spills into the church. Because believers live within a particular society, they are naturally influenced by its spirit before they even walk through the church doors. The disciples of Jesus found themselves under the same pressure.
Luke 9 marks a turning point in Jesus' ministry, shifting focus toward his impending death and the cost of discipleship. Jesus send out the twelve apostles to preach the Kingdom of God and to demonstrate its power through healing the sick and casting out devils. After witnessing and participating in the miraculous feeding of the 5,000, Peter had confessed that Jesus was the Christ, the son of the living God. Nothing confirmed Peter’s testimony more than the Transfiguration. In describing the event, Peter said, “For we have not followed cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice came to Him from the majestic glory, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” And we ourselves heard this voice, which came from heaven, when we were with Him on the holy mountain. And we have a more reliable word of prophecy, which you would do well to follow, as to a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of the Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation.” (2 Peter 1:16-20)
Leaving that mountain-top experience, with a fresh view of Elijah and Moses, the disciples were awed and overwhelmed thinking they were ready for anything. Jesus set his face toward Jerusalem, but desired to go through Samaria on His way. With much enthusiasm the disciples went ahead to prepare the way. How disappointing it was when they encountered rejection in Samaria. They knew that rejection was a part of the high cost of following Jesus. Jesus had prepared them in advance. When rejected, they were to shake the dust from their feet and keep it moving. Yet somehow, it seems like these “Sons of thunder” were following the spirit of the culture.
In Luke 9:55-56, Jesus rebukes disciples James and John for wanting to call down fire on a Samaritan village that rejected him. He clarifies his mission as a ministry to save lives, not destroy them. Jesus wanted His disciples to be different from the culture, different from Elijah of old and even different from Jonah at Nineveh. They must rid themselves of the pain of rejection and the desire for vengeance. They must demonstrate patience in the face of rejection and be willing to move to another village and proclaim the good news.
Rejection, criticism and insult can stir up moments of intense emotions in the strongest Christians. James and John displayed an eagerness to call down divine judgment on the Samaritan village that rejected Jesus. This reflects their misunderstanding of Jesus' mission and an impulsive zeal that was not aligned with the heart of His message. After the Samaritans refused to welcome Jesus, James and John were insulted and asked Jesus to call down fire like Elijah had done.
Elijah had called down fire upon a water-soaked altar, and the fire of God consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and licked up the water. An unbelieving nation declared that Jehovah alone is God. Then 1 Kings 19, Elijah was discouraged, and on the run from Jezebel, and had requested that God take his life from him. He was down and depressed, but not out completely. It appears that though Elijah was discouraged in 1 Kings 19, he had picked himself back up, and was still calling down fire from Heaven right up until the Lord took him home. The ministry can be very discouraging at times, but we must not quit. Later in 2 Kings 1, Elijah calls down fire from Heaven twice and destroys one captain and 50 men that were sent from King Ahaziah to apprehend him. Elijah had previously sent word to the wicked king that his days were numbered, and the king wanted to speak to Elijah personally about it, so he sent an army to get him. Elijah didn’t feel “led of God” to go, so he called down fire and destroyed the army. The king then sends another captain and another fifty men, and Elijah does the same thing. A third captain and another fifty soldiers are sent, but this time they very humbly beg Elijah to go with them and Elijah does so. However, the message to the king does not change and Elijah personally tells Ahaziah that he is about to die.
The disciples of Jesus probably heard these stories hundreds of times, after seeing Elijah and Moses, knowing the fiction between the Jews and Samarians, they thought calling down fire was in order. Jesus rebuked their misguided, vengeful attitude (knowing not "what manner of spirit" they were of).
1. Don’t allow the spirit of the culture to cause you to demonize people God wants to save. The culture of the age often demonizes anything different from themselves. Different means evil. It can be political parties, denomination affiliation, skin color, nation of origin, and a hundred things. They are evil, their kind are evil, their words are evil and they all need to be destroyed. Let’s call down fire or burn them out or attack them for God and to protect our world. But (Jesus) he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.”
2. Allow the Spirit of Christ To Guide Your Actions. In Matthew 10:14 (KJV), Jesus instructs his disciples, "And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet". This symbolic act represents leaving behind the burden of rejection, signifying a clear, peaceful, and final separation from those who refuse the Gospel message. Jesus takes a moment to reemphasize His Mission. Jesus stated his purpose is saving lives, not destroying them. If we are faithful, obedient followers of Christ, our actions must also be to save, heal and lift humanity, not retaliate. If we cannot help, be willing to simply move to a different village and keep on preaching. This passage highlights the contrast between the disciples' desire for judgment and Jesus's ministry of mercy and grace.
On Mount Carmel, Elijah challenges 450 prophets of Baal to a contest to determine the true God. After the prophets of Baal fail, Elijah prays, and fire from the LORD consumes the sacrifice, wood, stones, dust, and water in the trench, causing the people to declare, "The LORD, He is God!" Later when King Ahaziah sends a captain and 50 men to arrest Elijah. Elijah calls down fire from heaven to consume them, a feat he repeats with a second captain and his 50 men. These events were designed to demonstrate that the LORD is the true God of Israel and to validate Elijah as a true man of God.
In Luke 9:55-56, Jesus rebukes disciples James and John for wanting to call down fire on a Samaritan village that rejected him. He clarifies his mission is to save lives, not destroy them. In a moment of intense emotion, James and John displayed an eagerness to call down divine judgment on the Samaritan village that rejected Jesus. This reflects their misunderstanding of Jesus' mission and an impulsive zeal that was not aligned with the heart of His message.
3. How Well Is Your Heart Aligned With Jesus. Although James and John were openly rebuked, many of us harbor a desire for judgment on others more than we would like to admit. We all do it at one time or another, and we almost always have a reason or excuse. Our excuses always seem legitimate, even persuasive, at the moment - until we realize, often when it’s too late. Rejection is painful and forgiveness is hard. Does everyone really deserve my forgiveness? Sometimes we respond as the Lawyer, “Who is my neighbor”? In the Bible, your neighbor is anyone in need of help, compassion, or love, regardless of their background, race, or status. Jesus defined this in the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), showing that a neighbor is anyone you encounter whose needs you can meet, including enemies or strangers. Are we choosing to minister to others in the Spirit of the Culture or the Spirit of Christ? Do we view all people as children of God? Who qualifies for your help, compassion, or love? Can you see people through the eyes of Christ, regardless of their background, race, or status?
Though Jesus was immensely popular, the people of Samaria did not receive him because Jesus was focused on Jerusalem, and the Samaritans despised the Jews. He was there, he cared deeply for them, but they rejected him and missed their moment. When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them as Elijah did?”
Jesus would have none of this attitude! He made it clear he had not come to destroy but to save. James and John wanted to humiliate this village, and they wanted to do it in the name of Jesus! How could they possibly think that he’d want to call down fire on this village? He’d done nothing like this in his whole ministry. How could they miss it so badly? In fact, they missed Jesus for the same reason the Samaritans did. The pain they felt at being rejected incensed their pride, giving them the excuse they were looking for to inflict pain. Hurt people hurt people. Jesus’ desire was to deliver the people of this village from eternal death to eternal life, to heal their sick, to deliver those near death, to free them from the power of sin that was wasting their lives, to show them how to live. But they refused, missed their best chance to be freed from the pain that bound them to their past! When we refuse to make room for Jesus, he doesn’t call down fire on us to destroy us. There is no need. Every time we reject him, we ruin something else. Every time we wave him off, we waste another chance. Every time we leave him out, we lose out.
All our pain ultimately goes back to the loss of security and significance. The gospel of grace answers those needs. That’s why it’s so essential to make room for Jesus. His love for you meets your security needs, and his call to follow him meets your needs for significance. We must align our hearts with Jesus and his mission to seek and save the lost. James and John calls for divine retribution against those who rejected Jesus was misplaced and misguided zeal. Yet we get a glimpse into the power of the Spirit of the culture. How we were raised, what we were taught to believe, our values and appetites have all be influenced by the culture. Besides that, the media bombards us more every day. So we must choose to align our hearts with Jesus and allow Him to direct our paths. AMEN
