Luke Series # 62 April 14,2002
Introduction: Welcome to New Life in Christ. We are currently going through the Gospel of Luke verse by verse. As I mentioned last week, one advantage of this approach is that we are unable to avoid unpleasant, unpopular or difficult passages and topics of Scripture. After all, we desperately need to listen to everything God says to us. Today’s Scripture passage in Luke Chapter 12 and 13 is one of those passages we would sometimes rather avoid. In this section of the Bible, Jesus has some very strong words and warnings for us. These words and their message may not "tickle your ears" but they can change your heart. I’ve entitled this message "The Message Nobody Wants To Hear." While very few people may want to hear this message that does not mean it is a message no one needs to hear.
Read Luke 12:49-13:9
Opening Prayer
At first glance these passages can seem rather cryptic and unrelated to each other, but a closer look reveals that they all have one common theme: Judgment. The reference to "fire on earth" in verse 49 is a clear reference to judgment. The parable involving the adversary and magistrate revolves around getting things straight before the judgment of God comes and the reference to the tragedies in Chapter 13 along with the final parable in which there’s a threat to "cut down" the fig tree are also fairly clear references to God’s judgment.
Now "judgment" refers to God’s punishment of sinners for wrongdoing (lying, cheating on taxes, unfaithfulness to your spouse, embezzlement, sexual impurity, etc.) Most people would rather not hear about judgment. They would rather hear about God’s love, forgiveness, etc. The popular conception of Jesus and God is not one that entails punishment. Nevertheless the Judgment of God is clearly taught in the Bible and people need to hear warnings about God’s Judgment today just as much as they did 2,000 years ago. To quote William Barclay, "However much we may wish to eliminate the element of judgment from the message of Jesus it remains stubbornly and unalterably there” (The Gospel of Luke {Westminster Press}, p.169).
While some may look at these passages on judgment negatively, I see these Bible passages positively because they are the result of God’s loving warnings. God warns us or tells us of judgment so that we can avoid it!
Illustration: In our society hurricane warnings, warnings from the Surgeon General, or safety warnings on medicines are not considered negative but positive because of their purpose, which is to prevent tragedy. In the same sense, God’s warnings should be seen as positive because their purpose is to prevent spiritual tragedies.
In this passage Jesus tells us primarily two things about judgment.
I. You need to recognize that judgment is coming. Vs. 12:49-56
II. You need to repent because judgment is coming. Vs. 12:57-13:9
The first thing Jesus speaks of is the reality of judgment. The day when God will punish every wicked evil thing is not going to be avoided. It is a reality that we need to fully accept and recognize if we are to be prepared. It is like with the hurricane warnings here in Florida; people do not usually pay attention or prepare until they realize the severity of the storm and accept the reality that it will hit the coast. In the same way people often ignore warnings about God’s Judgment until they recognize the reality and the severity of it.
I. You need to recognize that judgment is coming. Vs. 12:49-56
Read Verse 49
“I have come to bring fire on the earth...” Fire in the Bible is a symbol for many things including God’s Presence and Righteousness, but it is most often a symbol for judgment. The context prior to verse 49 and after it made clear that Jesus is referring to judgment when he uses the word "fire." Jesus is bringing and will bring the Judgment of God. That judgment is like a fire, which is nothing to play around with or to ignore. The Judgment is a very serious thing so we need to recognize that it is going to come. The point of this warning about the certainty of God’s Judgment is so that we all will listen closely to what Jesus says later this passage about being prepared for the coming judgment and how to survive and prosper despite it.
Illustration: I recently watched the news documentary television show “Dateline NBC.” This episode was a story about a large Jumbo Jet that left the United States on a trip Europe. Three quarters of the way across the Atlantic Ocean the plane ran out of fuel, so in essence this Jumbo Jet was gliding, and it was only a matter of 15 to 30 minutes before the plane hit the earth. The people on that plane knew or recognized that disaster was going to come! They then listened carefully and responsively to the crew’s warnings and instructions. One comment from passengers that caught my attention was how careful they were to listen to the stewardess’s instructions about the life vest and the exits now even though they had ignored the same preflight instructions on the same manner. They listened and responded because what had been thought of only as a remote possibility before now was recognized as a reality.
This is what Jesus is doing for us in this passage. He is waking us up to the reality of the Judgment so that we will listen attentively and respond appropriately.
The "fire" of judgment is a reality although I recognize that many people do not accept the likelihood of judgment. A recent Gallup Poll makes that very clear.
Illustration: The percentage of people who believe that the Judgment Day will come within the next 100 years:
Very likely 23
Somewhat likely 16
Somewhat unlikely 16
Very unlikely 41
No opinion 4
Source: USA Today /Gallup Poll, 1998
I. You need to recognize that judgment is coming. Vs. 12:49-56
Jesus goes on to say how he wished that this "fire" judgment were "already kindled." Which is another way of saying that Jesus desired that the judgment had already begun. Now this seems very odd and inconsistent with Jesus’ love for people if it is not correctly understood. This statement does not mean that Jesus looked forward to people being punished for their sins but rather that he longs for judgment to be done with so that the positive aspects or results can begin. This statement is similar to the family of a heart transplant patient saying that they wished that the surgery were over with. They are not looking forward to the pain or risk of surgery but to the recovery. The Bible tells us that this world is a mess, which is pretty obvious to all of us anyway, and that it will continue to be in a mess (disease, death, hurts, pains) until the Judgment, which not only punishes sin but also purifies and prepares for a new Heaven and Earth without the mess.
Read 2 Peter 3:10-13
Read Verse 50
The good news is that Jesus did not come only to bring judgment (which is still in the future) but he also came to bring salvation, which is deliverance or escape from the punishment for sins. This salvation is what he is referring to in this verse. The phrase, "I have a baptism to undergo" does not refer to water baptism but in this case to Jesus’ death on the cross when he was overwhelmed our inundated i.e. baptized with the Wrath of God, that is the punishment for all people’s sins. You can read Mark 10: 38 at home to see a parallel account of this saying in which it clearly refers to Jesus crucifixion.
Jesus is "distressed until it is completed" because Calvary involved real, indescribable suffering which in one sense Jesus did not want to go through but he was willing to go through it for our sakes. He was distressed as we might be distressed, on very much smaller scale, about an upcoming root canal. His mind was very much on the cross. He dreaded it but was also committed to it.
Read Verses 51-53
Now this talk about judgment in verse 49 may have been very confusing to people listening then and those hearing it now because they expected the Messiah or Jesus Christ to bring a time of peace and prosperity. In some ways this was an accurate expectation but the problem is that this understanding of Jesus was the only understanding people had of Jesus. He goes around healing the sick and encouraging the discouraged with everyone accepting him and he accepting everyone but never really disturbing anyone.
This simply is not the case. Jesus can bring peace but He can also bring judgment and division, even division among the closest of family relationships. This judgment, opposition and division come because not everyone will accept and respond to his radical demands. This is why He says in verse 51, "Do you think that I came to bring peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but division." He wants people to understand that He has a message of Peace and of Judgment. For this reason the person and message of Jesus can be very upsetting. It can shake the apple cart and upset the status quo because people must make a decision about Jesus. Either you are totally for him or you are totally against him. Those who have accepted him on his terms can look at verse 50 and be hopeful and experience peace because He took our penalty and therefore our fear of judgment but those who do not respond to him as he demands can look at verse 49 and realize the same Jesus who offers salvation also brings the "fire of judgment."
I. You need to recognize that judgment is coming. Vs. 12:49-56
This is the main message of the text and Jesus speaks again of the need for recognizing that judgment is coming in verses 54-56.
Read Verses 54-56
In New Testament times there was no Doppler radar or television weatherman to tell you when a storm was on the horizon or to when to expect a sunny day. Most of the people were involved in professions (farming, fishing, etc.) which depended a great deal on the weather so they have learned to read the signs and come up with a fairly accurate forecast of the upcoming whether. They would of course then respond appropriately to whatever whether the signs were pointing too.
This is all well and good but Jesus rebuked them because they do not do the same in regard to spiritual signs. Jesus in essence says that the spiritual indicators or signs are pointing to a storm of massive proportions. A storm of judgment is on the horizon. Just like you would never ignore the physical signs of an impending hurricane you should not be ignorant of or unresponsive to the signs of upcoming judgment. Jesus does not mention here what the particular signs of spiritual judgment are, although in Chapter 13 he does indicate that even everyday tragedies can serve as warning signs to everyone that we all need to be prepared for judgment.
If that is the case shouldn’t the recent events in our nation get our attention? Or are we going to be unable to "interpret this present time" like the people Jesus was originally speaking to were? I hope that we will see the signs in regard to things like the current Israeli Conflict, The Columbine Shooting, and the 911 Tragedy. These events should serve as signs to all of us of the spiritual storm of judgment that is coming. As Jesus will say later in Chapter 13, these specific events and tragedies are not punishment for specific sins but rather they are signs of the Judgment to come and remind us of our need to always be ready.
Illustration: The May 1984 National Geographic showed color photos and drawings to the swift and terrible destruction that wiped out the Roman City of Pompeii in A.D. 79. The explosion of Mount Vesuvius was so sudden, the residents were killed while in their routine: men and women were at the market, the rich in their luxurious baths, and slaves at toil. They died amid volcanic ash and superheated gasses. Even family pets suffered the same quick and final fate. It takes little imagination to picture the panic of that terrible day.
The saddest part is that these people did not have to die. Scientists confirm what ancient Roman writers record--weeks of rumblings and shakings preceded the actual explosion. Even an ominous plume of smoke was clearly visible from the mountain days before the eruption. If only they had been able to read and respond to Vesuvius’s warning!
There are similar "rumblings" in our world: warfare, earthquakes, the nuclear threat, economic woes, breakdown of the family and moral standards. While not exactly new, these things do point to a coming day of Judgment (Matthew 24). People need not be caught unprepared. God warns and provides an escape to those who will heed the rumblings.
Source: Michael Bogart, Lemoore, California. Leadership, Vol. 6, no. 4.
I. You need to recognize that judgment is coming. Vs. 12:49-56
Conclusion: I hope you will take seriously this message on the Judgment that is sure to come. The next question you should ask yourself is, "How can I be prepared for the coming Judgment?" Next week we will look more specifically at that question and the answer as I complete part two of this message in Chapter 12:57-13:9, but today is the day to get right with God if you are not prepared. You can do the by asking for forgiveness, trusting in Jesus and committing to following him with a changed life.
There is a storm of judgment coming but there is also a shelter of protection found only in Jesus. Why not take shelter in Jesus today?
Closing Prayer
