The Coming Fire

John 7:37–39 ESV

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Luke 12:49-13:9

Luke 12:49–13:9 ESV

“I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father 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 mother-in-law.” He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time? “And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison. I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.” There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’ ”

(Practice standing next to the pulpit and free-speaking)

“Did Jesus come to bring peace on earth?”

Most of us would answer yes!

Isn’t that what we sing at Christmas? “Peace on Earth, goodwill towards men?”

But here Jesus says, “Wrong answer!” I have come to bring division and fire.

I think the first question is, what does peace mean?

What did THE JEWS MEAN BY PEACE?

In the time of Jesus there was a sort of peace - the PAX ROMANA. The Roman Empire was so powerful that it suppressed war, and civil uprisings. You could travel the Roman roads, and build great infrastructure like the aqueducts.

We live in the PAX AMERICANA - The peace of America. America is so powerful that it has suppressed war, and allowed us to build huge global infrastructure.

The Jews of Jesus day assumed that the Jewish Messiah would establish the PAX JUDEA. With Jesus at the helm, the Jews would create a great empire and destroy everyone who opposed them.

That’s what the Jews expected of Jesus, but Jesus hadn’t come to bring that kind of peace.

What do WE MEAN BY PEACE?

Three words that describe our culture:

INDIVIDUALISTIC (Life is about me),

MATERIALISTIC (Life is about stuff & physical experiences), and

HEDONISTIC (Life is about the avoidance of pain and the pursuit of pleasure).

Personal enjoyment and fulfilment, along with material prosperity.

ME and MY close friends at my favourite Restaurant, sipping champagne and eating perfect steak.

Or, a holiday where I can go where I want and spend what I want and do what I want.

You can tell a lot about a culture by what the government promises.

Our governments are always promising things like cheaper houses (stuff)

Or, personal freedom - Are you gay and want to get married? Sure

Are you old and in pain and want to kill yourself - definitely

Are your kids getting in the way of personal fulfilment, enjoyment and prosperity? Universal childcare!

As long as everyone has enough STUFF, and gets to do WHAT BRINGS THEM PLEASURE (and nobody directly gets hurt) it’s all ok!

Jesus never came to establish that kind of peace.

Just because people are happy, doesn’t mean it’s right.

The problem with our PEACE, is that’s it’s only ever a PAUSE.

A great and powerful government won’t keep the barbarians away.

Given enough time, you will get a dumb leader

King David is Amazing. His son Solomon is a genius.

His Son Rehoboam is one of the stupidest people in the whole Bible.

Governments or Rulers are only ever a PAUSE.

Personal fulfilment and material prosperity is fragile

We can have a fantastic holiday, but if you lie in the sun long enough you’ll get sunburnt

Jesus did not come to create another Pause, to simply DELAY the sorrows of life.

He came to deal with the issue at it’s root. And the issue is SIN, and CORRUPTION.

While ever Sin exists, peace will only be a Pause. (The government will get bloated and corrupt, young people will be poisoned on holidays)

Wherever Corruption exists, Peace will only be a Pause. (Your garden grows weeds. Your body gets weak and frail)

“I’m here to bring Fire.”

The fire is sometimes said to be the Holy Spirit, but here, I think it’s purifying fire. It’s the fire that burns up everything that is worthless and awful and ruined about our world.

My Aunt and Uncle lived in Bundaberg, right next to a sugar cane field. If you know anything about Sugar Cane, you know they used to burn it before harvest.

The fire burns up all the useless parts of the cane, all the dead stuff, and leaves the main stalk with the sugar. The fire also burns up and chases out snakes, and rats and bugs.

I loved it.

The Apostle John writes, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”

Jesus didn’t come to keep the status quo - he came to fix it once and for all.

Jesus said, “I came to bring Division”.

Between those who choose repentance and forgiveness & those who do not.

Between people who choose, through faith and repentance to allow God to purify them with his holy fire, to make them clean in his sight so that they are no longer full of corruption and sin.

And those who reject God. Who remain in sin and corruption. And as a result will go to the place reserved for corruption and sin. The eternal fire.

Two old Testament images that point to eternal reality:

The great flood. Everyone is corrupt and wicked and sinful, and God says, “Enough!” But Noah and his family he saves.

Sodom and Gomorra, two cities that were deeply sinful and corrupt and God says, “Enough” - But Lot and his daughters he saves.

In both cases others could have joined them! The door of the Ark was open for a long time. Lot’s sons in laws refused to come.

The Scripture is clear - Fire is coming, save yourself!

It says, “The wrath (burning anger) of God is coming.” -Colossians 3:6

Peter, on the day of Pentecost says, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” Acts 2:40

What peace will you choose? The PAUSE of PEACE now, or Eternal Peace with God?

Lot’s wife preferred the peace of Sodom, to the Peace of God - But Lot still fled.

Noah’s friends laughed at his building a boat - But Noah still got inside.

Because of our comfort, pride and prosperity we are often uncomfortable with the idea of Judgement.

It feels harsh, and unnecessary.

It feels like it belongs in the past, and not with the nice Jesus we like.

In this passage, Jesus almost directly quotes the prophet Micah, from Micah 7.

Micah is mourning, he says, “all the good people are gone. Everyone has become wicked and always pursues what is wrong.”

He says, “Both of their hands are equally skilled at doing evil.”

Equally skilled at evil - that’s us! We are corrupt, sinful wicked.

You can’t have peace while you have people.

And God will only put up with that evil for so long.

Jesus will return as judge, and he will, once and for all, deal with sin and corruption.

PRAISE GOD - Eternity, the new heavens the new earth, won’t have sin in them.

BUT, that means, if we aren’t changed, we can’t be part of that sinless future.

SECOND - Now is the Season of Repentance

This is why Jesus came, to fix us.

And he urges his listeners to act right away.

He says, “Read the signs!”

You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

You know that if the forecast is for rain, it’s time to pull the washing in and close the windows.

At this point, our dispensational friends go a little nuts

Blood moons, black presidents, and they say, today is the 413th day of Chesvan.

Jesus had one message. The present time, is the time to repent.

The Jewish Scriptures promised that the Messiah would come.

And, they said he would do all sorts of things, including healing the sick, and raising the dead.

They also promised that, when he came, he would bring judgement.

So, Jesus is saying, “I’m here, I’m doing all the good stuff, why aren’t you responding?”

Today is the day of salvation.

Don’t be asleep to what God is saying to you.

Even our ageing body is a sign, a sign that our time is running out.

Jesus says- Fix things before judgement day

As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way,

Every day is one step closer to judgement day. One step closer to the court of heaven.

It’s too late to deal with things when you get there!

We are guilty, and unless the charges are dropped, we are going straight to destruction.

Jesus offers a chance to have the charges dropped. He’s saying to those listening, don’t wait!

As soon as Jesus arrived, the window of salvation opened.

2 Corinthians 6:2 (ESV)

Behold, now is the favourable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

The rule is always, don’t wait! Fix things now, today. On the way.

Three - Unless you repent.

Some people say, “What about those people Pilate brutally murdered?”

CHRISTIAN KARMA

Jesus says it has nothing to do with it.

Bad things happen because of sin and corruption. The sin and corruption he came to deal with.

And unless we repent and are cleansed of our sin, it won’t matter if we die in a house fire, or a building falls on our head, or we are murdered by a tyrant, or we die in our nice house in our sleep.

“Unless you repent, we all will perish.”

I get it, this not a super pleasant passage of scripture.

But Jesus was on a mission. A mission to save.

Sometimes we look for the peace of avoidance -”Don’t upset the apple cart.”

Jesus is happy to upset anything and anyone if it leads to salvation.

THIRD - God’s Mercy

However, woven into Jesus words are the promises of God’s kindness and mercy.

We see God’s patience

“A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’ ”

God is patient with us. He gives us more chances than we deserve.

Jesus came to end

We see God’s self sacrifice.

“I have a baptism to be baptised with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished!”

That baptism, was his crucifixion. A baptism of suffering and pain in which he took the corruption and sin of the world onto his own shoulders.

Jesus didn’t come to simply warn us about the coming judgement.

He came to save us from it.

That’s the good news, that’s the gospel.

Even though both of our hands are equally skilled at doing evil, Jesus came to accept the blame and punishment for our sake.

FINALLY - “The God who Pardons Sin”

The passage in Micah, which

Micah 7:18–19 ESV

Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.

Communion Table