Emory Baptist Church

Painful Losses

Today, we return to our summer sermon series on Sunday mornings entitled, “A Life Full of Pain: How Can Believers Survive?’  If you have your Bibles, find 2 Corinthians 1:3, and let’s talk about “Painful Losses.”

 

In the recent weeks, we have talked about painful decisions.  We looked at King Saul in 1 Samuel 15.  Our encouragement was to obey God completely instead of partially.

 

Next, we talked about painful finances.  We looked at the Apostle Paul’s experience in Philippians 4.  Our encouragement was to learn the spiritual discipline of contentment.

 

Then, we talked about painful health.  We looked at a man born lame who encountered Peter and John in Acts 3.  Our encouragement was to pray to God asking for healing and ask others to pray for our healing as well.   

 

Before I move on, remember that even though this life is full of pain, there is a time and place that is free from pain.  That place is heaven, and that time is eternity, but it is reserved only for the followers of Christ.

 

This morning, we are talking about painful losses, and everyone can relate.  There is no one who is immune to loss.

 

Generally speaking, losses can be grouped into three broad categories.  First, there is loss of position.  This may mean loss of job or loss of status.

 

Second, there is loss of possession.  This may mean income, retirement, home, etc.  Multiple families lost many possessions in the 2017 EF-3 tornado in Rains County.

 

Third, there is the loss of person and or pets.  Even though my message today speaks primarily to the loss of person, losing a pet is painful.

 

I used to not think this was true.  Early on as a pastor, when church members asked me to pray for them because their dog died or cat died, I did, but I was laughing inside.

 

However, in the past 15 years or so, I have lost three Labrador Retrievers, and I have cried every time.  Losing a pet is painful!

 

When we talk about losing a person, the Bible is not silent.  There are multiple examples of the death of a spouse, death of a child, death of a friend.

 

Remember Abraham who lost his wife Sarah.  See Genesis 23:1-2, 17-20.

 

1 Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. 2 So Sarah died in Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.

 

17 So the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, which were within all the surrounding borders, were deeded 18 to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city.  19 And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20 So the field and the cave that is in it were deeded to Abraham by the sons of Heth as property for a burial place.

 

Notice that Abraham mourned and wept and secured a burial for his wife.  Responding in kind to a loss of person is normal and right.

 

Naomi did the same in Ruth 1.  She lost her husband named Elimelech.

 

3 Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons. 4 Now they took wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. And they dwelt there about ten years. 5 Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband.

 

However, she not only lost her husband, but she also lost her adult sons.  They were also spouses to Orpah and Ruth.

 

I’m sure you know the shortest verse in the Bible.  See John 11:35.

 

35 Jesus wept.

 

Why did Jesus cry?  His dear friend, Lazarus, had died.

 

Finally, even though we are prone to skip this one obvious example.  God the Father experienced the death of His Son, Jesus Christ.

 

Personally, I have not experienced the losses that many of you have.  However, I experienced my own losses.

 

My family and I were set to adopt a set of brothers in the summer of 2014.  We had gone through all of the paperwork and home studies, and then found out another family had adopted them because our paperwork got misplaced.

 

I lost three of my closest friends on September 11, 2014 when three deacons at my previous church wanted me to change the gospel message that I was extending to blacks in our community.  I wasn’t going to change my message so I changed churches and landed here at EBC.

 

On Wednesday, February 24, 2021, I lost a father-figure when Dr. Jimmy Pritchard died due to complications with COVID.  He wasn’t my biological father, but he was my spiritual father and mentor.

 

 

Exposition

In 2 Corinthians 1, I want to comfort you as God wants to comfort us through Paul.  Notice that Paul used that word 6 times in verses 3-6.

 

Paul experienced his own trials and tribulation and suffering according to verse 5.  They were so bad that verse 8 describes them as beyond measure, above strength, and made them think they weren’t going to live through them.

 

What were they?  2 Corinthians 11:24-27 lists some.

 

24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.

 

In this letter to the Corinthians and in effort to comfort them, Paul began by reminding to praise God for His mercies and comfort.  Certainly, that is a strange place to start because we think that we should be immune from loss.

 

Then, when we suffer loss, we are thinking about praising God.  We are thinking about cursing God.  However, the truth is, no one is immune from loss…no one.

 

We also see in verses 3-4 that God wants to comfort us in any and every loss.  Notice the use of the word all and any.

 

After praising God for His mercy and comfort, Paul says come to God for comfort again and again.  That word comfort in verse 4 is present active participle that means God will comfort over and over and over again.

 

In verse 5, we actually see that this idea has a financial connotation.  When our loss is this much, His comfort is always more. 

 

Finally, after praising God and coming to Him for comfort, we should recognize that He gives us opportunities to share that same comfort with others in our same situation. 

 

So here is the idea.  God comforts us in our loss.  We then comfort others in the same way that God comforted us. 

 

Therefore, our challenge is not to waste our loss.  Of course, we wouldn’t choose it.  However, we can choose to use it according to God’s plan to comfort others in need like we were and are.

 

 

Invitation

Our invitation is always first to trust Christ. If you have never made that personal decision to follow Jesus, I’d invite you to do so today.

 

Also, I’d invite you to connect formally to EBC.  If you are just visiting, what’s keeping you from making that next step?

 

Lastly, you just may need to be comforted today.  Just sit in silence and be comforted by the HS within you.

Gideons International Report

Painful Health

If you have your Bibles this morning, please take them and find Acts 3:1.  I want to continue in our summer sermon series on Sunday mornings talking about “Painful Health.”

 

This summer, we are talking about a life full of pain.  So far, we have talked about painful decisions in Saul’s life from 1 Samuel 15, and painful finances from Paul’s life in Philippians 4.

 

BTW…Please remember that life on this earth will always be full of pain.  However, a life in heaven for eternity will be painless and pain-free, but you can only experience such through a personal and saving relationship with Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

 

When we talk about painful health, almost all of us can identify.  So many of us have had the dreaded cancer diagnosis.  Others have diabetes.

 

You can add arthritis to list and migraines torn muscles and tendons and ligaments. We can all identify.

 

BTW…I want to publically thank EBC for the insurance that you provide for me and my family and our ministers.  If it were not for our very good insurance, my wife and I would have had to declare bankruptcy after two hospital stays last summer and trying to pay for college. Thank you!

 

 

1. A Man Who was Hopeless, 3:1-3

1 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; 3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.

 

Here in Acts 3, Peter and John were on their way to the temple to pray.  It was 3 PM.  The ninth hour refers to from 6 AM.

 

They met a certain man who had been unable to walk since his birth.  Acts 4:22 says this man was 40 years old. 

 

Friends and family took him to the temple every day for him to be seen and cared for with the donations of others.  Of course, because of his physical handicap, he couldn’t work and couldn’t provide for himself.

 

Alms were offerings that were being given.  In our day and time, he would be considered a “panhandler.’

 

BTW…Was this man’s condition because of his sin or his parents.  John 9:1-3 tells us that this man’s handicap simply could have been a situation to demonstrate glory of God. 

 

Verse 3 says he saw Peter and John.  Maybe he hadn’t seen them previously.  Regardless, he requested assistance from them.

 

Otherwise, his situation was hopeless.  He had been lame for 14,600 days with no sign of change.

 

 

2. A Miracle of Healing, 3:4-7

4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.” 5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” 7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.

 

Verse 4 says that Peter caught his eyes and began to converse with him.  Since many had probably ignored him, when Peter began to talk, the lame man expected that Peter and John were going to help them, and they did, but not in the way he was expecting.

 

Peter commanded him to get up in the name and authority of Jesus.  Then Peter helped him up, and he was healed instantly and completely.

 

BTW…It was God’s plan for this man to be healed.  It was also God’s plan for Peter to play his part, to fulfill his role.

 

God can save anyone and everyone instantly.  However, His plan is use us in sharing the gospel.  Brothers and sisters, God left you on earth for a specific purpose, and that purpose is to share the gospel with anyone and everyone that He brings in your path. 

 

 

3. Magnifying the Healer, 3:8-10

8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God. 10 Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

 

What happened once he was healed?  The who was limping went to leaping. 

 

He praised God, and he showed others what had happened. 

 

Consequently, those in the temple were filled with wonder and amazement. They saw for themselves that a miracle had taken place, and they too knew that God had done it.

 

 

 

Application and Conclusion

First, God still performs miracles of healing today.  He can heal cancer, and He can heal diabetes, and He can heal anything and everything.

 

If you are in need, I invite you to do what the James invited the first-century Christians to do.  See James 5:14.

 

14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

 

As the single elder of Emory Baptist Church, I have prayed for and anointed multiple people with oil.  I would love to do the same for you.

 

Second, when God does heal, we should praise Him.  We should praise Him personally, and we should praise Him publically. That’s what this man did.

 

BTW…If God doesn’t heal, He is still God, and He is still good.  See Job 2:10 and 13:15.

 

10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

 

15 Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.

 

Third, this example of physical healing is a picture and symbol of our need for spiritual healing. We are all spiritually lame, and we need Jesus, and only Jesus, to heal us and save us.

 

And this is Jesus’ first priority.  It is no good for Jesus to heal physically and then healed men and women spend an eternity in hell because they haven’t been healed spiritually.

 

This morning, I invite you to let Jesus heal your heart.  Will you trust Him today as Lord and Savior?

 

O Magnify the Lord with Me!

Painful Finances

Painful Decisions

If you have your Bibles this morning, I want you to find 1 Samuel 15.  I want to share a message with you this morning about painful decisions.

 

If you were here last Sunday morning, you know that I introduced a Sunday morning summer sermon series.  It is about lives full of pain.

 

However, my aim is not simply to identify pains in this earthly life.  My goal is address them biblically, and show us, from God’s word, how to survive.

 

BTW…the only time and place that is pain free is eternity in heaven.  That time and place is secured only for those that receive Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.

 

Life is full of decisions.  One “Psychology Today” estimated that we make 35,000 decisions per day.

 

Sometimes, we make painful decisions. Typically, they are painful because of the consequences, and that is true of Saul in 1 Samuel 15.

 

 

1. God’s directions and expectations are most of the time clear, 15:1-3.

 

The reason I saw most of the time is because I don’t think God tells in His word where to specifically to go to college or specifically to work or specifically how many kids to have.  However, He does tell us specifically to honor our parents and be honest and don’t murder or steal or commit adultery.

 

For Saul, God’s directions were crystal clear.  See 15:3.

 

The question that you are probably asking is why.  I asked that same question.  Isn’t this extra?  Isn’t God going overboard…the women, the babies, the animals?

 

Exodus 17:8-16, 8 Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” 10 So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.  14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-Lord-Is-My-Banner; 16 for he said, “Because the Lord has sworn: the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

 

But is this all?  This doesn’t sound like much.

 

Deuteronomy 25:17-18, 17 “Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you were coming out of Egypt, 18 how he met you on the way and attacked your rear ranks, all the stragglers at your rear, when you were tired and weary; and he did not fear God.

 

God was angry that Amalek attacked His people?  How did he attack them?  He attacked them from behind and when they were tired and weary.

 

When God gives instructions and directions, He expects us to obey.  The challenge that you and I face is deciding whether we know better than God.

 

 

2. God hates sin, and partial obedience is sin, 15:4-25.

 

For Saul, he thought his human wisdom was better than God’s instruction. Consequently, this led him down the road of partial disobedience and a series of painful decisions.

 

Yes, he obeyed God partially.  However, partial obedience is disobedience.  

 

Instead of what God had said, what did Saul do?  Look at verse 9.

 

He spared the king and the best animals.  This was painful decision number 1.

 

When Samuel confronted him, Saul lied.  Look at verse 13.  This was painful decision number 2.

 

When pressed even further, Saul blamed his people for his own decision.  Look at verse 15.  This was painful decision number 3.

 

In verse 21, Saul tried to justify his painful decision and those of his people by pointing out the good they were going to do. This was painful decision number 4. 

 

However, notice how Samuel responded in verse 22.  Obedience is better than sacrifice. 

 

In other words, don’t brag about your obedience in some areas when your disobedience is glaring.  Don’t tell me how much you’re giving to offerings when you aren’t tithing.  Don’t tell me about how much your serving when your forsaking the assembly on Sunday mornings.  Don’t tell me how much you want to know and follow God’s will and then you’re sexually active with your boyfriend or girlfriend.

 

Saul’s last painful decision is in verse 24.  This was number five as he feared the people more than he feared God. 

 

BTW…We typically don’t just make one painful decisions.  Once we start downhill, the ball is hard to stop rolling. 

 

 

3. Saul’s decisions were most painful because they meant forfeiting God’s blessing, 15:26-35.

 

Yes, Saul confessed in verse 26.  However, it was too late.

 

Not immediately, but eventually, God would take the nation of Israel from Saul.  He would remove him as king.

 

Did God do that?  Of course He did in making David king.

 

 

Conclusion

What is God making crystal clear to you right now, and you’re not obeying completely?  Is it your money? Is it your commitment to EBC?  It is your purity or your relationships?

 

Partial obedience is disobedience.  Disobedience runs the risk of forfeiting God’s blessing.  Stop making painful decisions today.

 

 

No Place Like Heaven...Pain Free

Life is FULL of pain.  That is probably not the encouraging word that you were looking for this morning before you arrived.

 

However, it is true, and I think you all would agree.  As Christians, I sometimes feel that the expectation from others is that we are to just put our head down and go on or bury our head in the sand and act like our pain doesn’t exist.  That’s not what we are going to do this summer at EBC.

 

Earlier this spring, the Hunt Baptist Association hosted a one-day seminar with Dr. Matthew Kim.  He wrote this book, “Preaching to People in Pain: How Suffering Can Shaper Your Sermons and Connect with Your Congregation.”

Ronnie and Chris and I all attended this seminar.  I especially was impacted to the degree that I felt you, as people in pain, needed to hear from God’s Word. 

 

In the Bible, the word “pain” is used 39 times.  12 times it refers to emotional or spiritual pain.  26 times it refers to physical pain.  The most common type of physical pain mentioned is childbirth.

 

This summer, we will talk about various types and circumstances of pain.  See bulletin insert.

 

I said pain was mentioned 39 times in the Bible.  12 are emotional or spiritual.  26 are physical.  12 plus 26 equals 38. 

 

The last time that pain is mentioned, it actually speaks to the absence of pain.  Where?

 

This life is FULL of pain, and the next life will be an eternity of pain.  However, there is a time and place where pain will be no more.

 

Take your Bibles and turn to Revelation 21:1. I want to share a message with you entitled, “No Place Like Heaven.”

 

 

1. Heaven will be pain FREE, Revelation 21:1-5a!

1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”  5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.”

 

In verse 1, John said he saw a new heaven and a new earth because the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.  The first heaven and the first earth are what we have now, but when will they pass away? 

 

 

Revelation doesn’t tell us. However, 2 Peter 3 does.

 

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

 

Remember our timeline.  We are waiting on the rapture.  Then will be the tribulation.  Then Jesus will return. Then He will reign on hearth for 1,000 years.  Then eternity will begin.

 

According to 2 Peter 3, after Jesus comes back and before eternity begins, the first heaven and the first earth will pass away, and there will be no more sea.  They pass away because they are tainted with sin.

 

However, specifically, why will there be no more sea?  It is hard to say.

 

It may something to do with the anti-Christ coming from the sea in Revelation 13.  It may have something to do with being the place of the dead in Revelation 20.  The bottom line is that Scripture isn’t clear.

 

In verse 2, John saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. John compared her to a bride adorned for her husband. 

 

Don’t simply pass over the significance of this analogy of a wedding and a marriage that has one bride and one groom.  We can probably conclude that John uses this analogy because the holy city will be the home of the bride of Christ, His Church. 

 

The absolute greatest fact about heaven is revealed in verse 3.  Heaven will mean the presence of Christ.  In verse 3, He is called the Tabernacle of God which reminds us of the Old Testament.  However, it also reminds us of John 1:14.

 

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

 

In His first coming, Jesus became flesh and dwelt or tabernacled among us.  He will do that again in heaven. 

 

Now listen to verse 4.  Eternity will be a return to Genesis with the new heaven and the new hearth.  It will be the presence of God in Jesus Christ, and it will be the absence of sorrow with NO pain.

 

Verse 4 is one of our favorite and most comforting verses in all of the Bible.  There will be NO pain at all…zero, none, nota.

 

Think about all of the pain in this life.  We will talk about painful decisions, painful finances, painful health, painful losses, painful relationships, and painful sins. 

 

However, that won’t be true in the life to come.  There will be no illness.  There will be no death.  There will be no betrayal.  There will be no abuse.  There will be no loss. 

 

There will be NO pain.  Heaven will be pain FREE.

 

 

2. You can’t count on this truth, Revelation 21:5b!

5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

 

You might be wondering how will there be no sorrow and no pain.  The answer is in verse 5.  Jesus said He will make all things new. 

 

Here is what I know about this transformation just from one verse.  First of all, in heaven, Jesus will be in charge.  It won’t be me.  It won’t be you.  It won’t be anyone other than Him.

 

Second, His promise leaves nothing out.  There are no exceptions.  He said, “I will make ALL things new.”  There is no need to elaborate.  Heaven will be the transformation of every single thing.

 

Third, this promise is a promise made and a promise kept.  It hasn’t happened yet, but it will.  These words are faithful and true.

 

 

 

3. Will your pain end when you get to heaven, Revelation 21:6-8?

6 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

 

Finally, in our last three verses for today, there is an invitation to experience life and eternal life.  This is an invitation for your pain to end!

 

In verse 6, Jesus is the Alpha and Omega.  Those are the first and last letters of the Greek Alphabet. He is the beginning and the end.

 

He was there in the beginning, and was the Creator in Genesis.  He will be there in Heaven in the end for eternity in Revelation, and He invites anyone who thirsts to come to the fountain of the water of life. 

 

He isn’t talking about physical thirst but spiritual thirst.  That may be you this morning. 

 

Is there something more to this life?  Are you missing something?  Are you not at peace with your Creator? 

 

Are you tired of pain and more pain and more pain?  Come to Jesus and thirst no more and experience freedom from pain.

 

However, if your life is characterized by cowardliness, unbelief, anger, murder, sexual immorality, sorcery, idolatry and lies, you haven’t been saved.  You don’t have a home in heaven.

 

You will experience the second death.  You will die physically and then spiritually for eternity.

 

Not only will you continue to experience pain in this life, you will experience pain for eternity.  Jesus invites you to be saved today.

 

Navigating the Road Ahead

The Peace We All Need

Here in Luke 12, Jesus is talking about the end of time.  If you have your Bibles, turn them to Luke 12:54, and I want to share with you a message entitled, “The Peace We All Need.”

 

Again, in the recent Sundays, we have been talking about end of time events because Jesus has been addressing the end of time.  We know that specifically because of Luke 12:40.

 

40 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

 

When talking about end time events, here at Emory Baptist Church, we generally use this time line.  The rapture of the church will be unexpected and begin a seven-year earthly tribulation of Christians.  The return of Christ is after the tribulation and begins a one-thousand-year earthly reign.  At the end of the millennium, eternity begins.

 

However, of those events, one is talked about more than others, and for good reason.  That is the second coming of Jesus Christ. 

 

 

Exposition

In Luke 12:45, we see that Jesus was talking to the multitudes.  Therefore, all of us need to pay attention this morning.

 

In verses 55-56, Jesus spoke about the weather.  He affirmed that these people were good at know the signs of impending weather.  However, they didn’t have radars or weather apps.

 

What did they have?  They had their eyes.

 

When they saw clouds coming from the west off of the Mediterranean Sea, they knew it would rain soon. Also, when they saw and felt the wind blowing from the south, they knew they were in for some hot weather. 

 

However, Jesus chastised them, and called them hypocrites.  Why?

 

They could see accurately discern the signs for weather.  However, the savior of the world was standing in front of them talking, but they didn’t recognize Him.

 

What should they do?  Verses 58-59 contain a parable.

 

If you are odds or conflict with your enemy, you better get the situation resolved.  Otherwise, a judge going to throw you in jail, and you won’t have the means to get out.

 

The main point of this parable and my message today is found in verse 58.  Make every effort along the way to settle with him.

 

What does that mean for us today?  Simply put, be at peace!

 

 

Application

Before I get more into peace with whom and how, does the Bible really commend a life of peace?  Consider these verses all from the New Testament.

 

Romans 14:17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

 

Romans 14:19 Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.

1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.

 

2 Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

 

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

 

James 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

 

Therefore, I think we can say, without question, that the Bible commends a life of peace.  However, with whom and how?

 

First and foremost, and most important, and the primary point of this text at the end of Luke 12 is that we are invited to be at peace with God, our creator.  However, that doesn’t happen automatically.  See Romans 5:1.

 

Romans 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Second, we are encouraged and challenged to be at peace with one another or our neighbor. However, we know from the story of the Good Samaritan that our neighbor isn’t just our geographical neighbor but anyone that God puts in our path each and every day.

 

It may be our across the fence neighbor.  It may be our school neighbor.  It may be our work neighbor.  It may be our family neighbor.  It may be our mom or son or daughter.

 

Be at peace with God.  Be at peace with one another.

 

Mark 9:50 Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.”

 

Romans 12:18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.

 

Hebrews 12:14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:

 

1 Peter 3:10 For “He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit.  11 Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it.  12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

 

But let me share one last thing with you.  For you to be peace with some of your neighbors or one of your neighbors, you might need to say, “I’m sorry.  Please forgive me.”

 

And please listen to this.  You don’t have to know how you hurt someone to apologize.  You just have to know THAT you hurt someone. 

 

And for others of you, for you to be peace with some of your neighbors or one of your neighbors, you might need to say, “I forgive you.”

 

And you might be saying, “You don’t know how bad he or she hurt me.”  That’s true.  I don’t, but God does.

 

And God says this in the Sermon on the Mount.  See Matthew 5:21-26 and Matthew 6:14-15.

 

Matthew 5:21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. 23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.

 

Matthew 6:14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

 

 

Conclusion

This morning, I invite you to be at peace with God through your faith in Jesus Christ.  If you already are, I invite you to be at peace with your neighbor by saying I’m sorry or I forgive you.

 

Division That Is Inevitable

to share a message with you entitled, “Division That Is Inevitable.”

 

In the recent messages in Luke 12, Jesus has been telling parables that have all had the same main idea.  It is found in Luke 12:40.

 

40 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

 

As we continue to think about the return of Christ today, we are going to look at the subject of division.  Generally speaking, division in the church or a church is not positive, and should be avoid at all costs.

 

Romans 16:17-18, 17 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. 18 For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.

 

1 Corinthians 1:10, 10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

 

Titus 3:9-11, 9 But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. 10 Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, 11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned.

 

These divisions are avoidable.  They are about often about personal preferences and personalities.

 

However, some division is inevitable.  That is the division regarding the person of Christ, and that is our topic for today.

 

 

1. At the end of time judgment, fire will punish the sinner and purify the saint, Luke 12:49.

49 “I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!

 

So many times in the Old and New Testaments, fire is understood to mean judgment.  Since we are talking about the return of Christ, I assume that is what Jesus means here as well.

 

BTW…as it relates to end of time timeline, here is what I believe in very general terms.  Unexpectedly, the rapture of the church will be first.  Then, there will be a seven-year earthly tribulation, and it will be really bad.

 

At the end of that seven years, Jesus Christ will return and begin His one-thousand-year earthly kingdom.  Then, eternity will begin.

 

Just before eternity begins, God will punish unbelieving sinners with fire.  See Revelation 20:11-15.

 

11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

 

Also, sometime before eternity begins, God will purify His saints with fire.  See 1 Corinthians 3:10-15.

 

10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

 

Why did Jesus say he was looking forward this?  It was will be ultimate consummation of God’s plan and kingdom!

 

 

2. With His death on the cross, Jesus received God’s judgment on sin for all who would believe, Luke 12:50.

50 But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!

 

Jesus spoke of His judgement as a baptism.  Notice it was a future event from the time of this account. 

 

He was talking about His death on the cross, and no one in their right mind would look forward to it.  Jesus was distressed about it.

 

Why?  Wasn’t it God’s plan?  Yes, but Jesus became every sin every committed and would be committed. 

 

Think about that.  He became every act of rape and every act of murder and every act of sexual abuse and every act of drunkenness and every act terror in addition to every anger and every lie and every lust and every pride.

 

We know this because of 2 Corinthians 5:21. Therefore, either Jesus was judged for your sin or your will be judged for you sin.  The choice is yours.

 

 

3. Every single individual will be judged by what he or she has done in relation to the person of Christ, and division is inevitable, Luke 12:51-53.

51 Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. 52 For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three. 53 Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

 

Because of His character, Jesus will be a source of division and not peace.  This is true because of the exclusive claims that Jesus makes about God and Himself.

 

For example, any individual can only have the peace of God when they are at peace with God through the Son of God, the Prince of Peace.  See Romans 5:1.

 

1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

To be justified means to be made right.  We need to be made right because we are all wrong because of our sin.

 

We are only made right through faith in Jesus Christ.  However, it is not faith in some good person.  It is not faith in some moral teacher.  It is faith in the perfect, sinless Son of God as Lord and Savior.

 

When a person makes that decision, there will be others who don’t, and those others will even be family members.  This division is inevitable.

 

Fathers will disagree with sons and vice versa.  Mothers will disagree with daughters and vice versa.  Extended family will disagree with extended family and vice versa. 

 

 

Conclusion

However, Jesus worth it all!  See Matthew 19:29.

 

29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.