The Uncomfortable Christ

OPENING

Good morning, church family. I want to begin today with a story that might help us understand something profound about the nature of Christ's ministry.

Last summer, I had the opportunity to speak with a forest ranger in Colorado. As we drove through a section of the national forest, I noticed areas where the trees were blackened, the undergrowth cleared away, and new green shoots were just beginning to emerge from the forest floor. "What happened here?" I asked.

"Controlled burn," he replied. "We do this intentionally."

I was puzzled. Why would they deliberately set fire to a beautiful forest? He explained that without these controlled burns, the forest becomes choked with dead wood, fallen branches, and overgrown undergrowth. When lightning strikes or drought comes, these areas become tinderboxes that explode into devastating wildfires that destroy everything - the healthy trees along with the dead wood.

"But when we bring the fire intentionally," he said, "when we control the burn, it clears away only what needs to go. The healthy trees survive, the soil is enriched with ash, and new life springs up stronger than before."

As we drove away, I couldn't help but think about Jesus and the words He spoke in Luke chapter 12. Sometimes Christ brings a fire that makes us uncomfortable - not because He wants to destroy us, but because He loves us enough to clear away what's choking out our spiritual growth.

I. THE FIRE JESUS BRINGS

Let's read together from Luke 12:49-56. [Read passage]

"I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!"

What kind of fire is Jesus talking about? Is this the fire of judgment? The fire of hell? The fire of destruction? I don't believe so. This is the fire of purification, the fire of truth, the fire that burns away what is false so that what is true can shine forth.

The prophet Jeremiah knew this fire intimately. In Jeremiah 20:9, he cried out: "But if I say, 'I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,' his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot."

Jeremiah felt God's truth burning within him like fire. It wasn't comfortable. It wasn't convenient. But it was necessary. The word of God was so powerfully present in his life that he couldn't contain it, couldn't ignore it, couldn't push it down. It had to come out.

This is the fire Jesus brings - not the fire that destroys, but the fire that purifies. Not the fire that consumes everything, but the fire that burns away the chaff so the wheat can be gathered. Not the fire that brings death, but the fire that makes new life possible.

When Jesus says, "How I wish it were already kindled," He's not speaking with destructive glee. He's speaking with the urgency of love. He knows that this fire, uncomfortable as it may be, is exactly what we need for spiritual health and growth.

Think about it this way: when a doctor tells you that you need surgery, it's not because they want to hurt you. It's because they love you enough to recommend something uncomfortable now to prevent something catastrophic later. The surgeon's scalpel causes temporary pain to bring lasting healing.

This is the fire of Christ - the uncomfortable truth that cuts through our self-deception, our comfortable compromises, our spiritual complacency. It's the fire that says, "You can't stay where you are and become who I've called you to be."

II. THE BAPTISM OF SUFFERING

In verse 50, Jesus says, "But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed!"

Jesus is not talking about water baptism here. He's talking about the baptism of suffering He would endure on the cross. He felt constrained, pressured, burdened until this mission was accomplished. The Greek word here suggests being held in a tight place, feeling hemmed in until the task is complete.

Do you hear the weight in His voice? Do you sense the burden He carried? Jesus understood that bringing this purifying fire would cost Him everything. He knew that speaking truth in a world that preferred comfortable lies would lead to His crucifixion.

But He also knew it was necessary. He felt that fire shut up in His bones, just like Jeremiah. The love of God for a lost world burned so intensely within Him that He couldn't hold it back, even knowing it would cost Him His life.

This teaches us something profound about authentic discipleship. Following Christ isn't always comfortable. It isn't always popular. It isn't always convenient. Sometimes the fire of God's truth burning within us will cost us relationships, comfort, acceptance, or security.