Weapons Formed Against Us - 3 - Divided Loyalties

Scripture: Luke 12:49-56

Luke 12:49–56 NIV

49 “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! 51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52 From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” 54 He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. 55 And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. 56 Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?

8/17/2025

Order of Service:

Announcements

Opening Worship

Prayer Requests

Prayer Song

Pastoral Prayer

Kid’s Time

Offering (Doxology and Offering Prayer)

Scripture Reading

Sermon

Closing Song

Benediction

Special Notes:

Standard

Opening Prayer:

Judge eternal,

you love justice and hate oppression;

you give peace to those who seek it,

and you condemn the rage of violence.

Give us courage to take our stand

with all victims of bloodshed and greed,

and, following your servants and prophets,

look to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. Amen.

Divided Loyalties

Standing For or Against

When I was growing up, we never went hungry, but we didn’t get many choices about what we ate. We learned to eat whatever was put in front of you. In the school cafeteria, it wasn’t much different. I usually just ate what they served, whether I liked it or not. But I had friends who couldn’t. Some had allergies, others couldn’t handle the taste or texture of certain foods. They weren’t trying to get the cafeteria to ban those items—they simply didn’t eat them. It’s easier to just avoid what you don’t like, without commiting to anything more.

Loyalty works the same way. We might start out loyal to one thing, but that loyalty can grow—sometimes without us realizing it. You start by cheering for a college or local high school football team. Soon, you’re watching all their basketball games, then every sport they play. You may even find yourself supporting parts of the school you don’t know much about, just because you’re loyal to the school name and you feel obligated to support everything they do.

That’s how nations ended up in World War I. A network of alliances meant that when one country went to war, its allies felt obligated to join. Most people didn’t want the fight, but their loyalties pulled them into something costly and destructive. After the war, many reevaluated what—and who—they would give their loyalty to.

The greatest leaders know exactly where their loyalty lies. They choose their cause, and they don’t let lesser causes dilute it. Some of them as players and coaches or supporters of those athletic teams may be so devoted to seeing their team win every game that they're willing to sacrifice anything—their lives, their families, their health, their finances. They may even remove themselves from the game so that a stronger player can take their place and make sure they win.

Others are a little more self-oriented and set ambitious goals of breaking records for scoring the most points, making the most sales, buying up the biggest corporation, creating the most jobs. Some of those world leaders have very specific criteria and a personal mission to ensure that everyone in the world has access to certain kinds of medicine or medical care, a minimum amount of food available to them, and opportunities for education or other activities. These people will spend their entire lives showing their loyalty to this mission, fighting against impossible odds.

But when our loyalties aren’t clear, we get stretched thin, distracted, or even paralyzed. We try to be everything to everyone—and in the process, we end up serving no one well. Our loyalties can even be turned against us, used by the enemy to pull us away from the one loyalty that matters most: following Jesus.

In our scripture today, Jesus forces us to choose. We can’t hold onto every cause and commitment. Divided loyalties will cost us. The question is—when the moment comes, which loyalty will win?

Motivation

Second Chronicles 33 tells the story of one of Judah’s most infamous kings, Manasseh. At only twelve years old, he took the throne and reigned for fifty-five years. But his loyalties were in all the wrong places. He built idols, bowed to pagan gods, and even sacrificed his own children to them. His leadership was soaked in the values of the nations God had driven out before Israel.

God spoke to Manasseh and to the people, calling them back, but they wouldn’t listen. So the Lord let the Assyrian army capture Manasseh, drag him away in shackles, and humiliate him with a hook in his nose. It was there—in distress and defeat—that Manasseh finally turned his loyalty back to the Lord. He humbled himself, prayed, and God forgave him. Not only did God restore him to Jerusalem, but Manasseh spent the rest of his days undoing the damage he had done.

What made that change possible? Two things: motivation and forgiveness. Motivation came when the fire of God’s discipline burned away his false loyalties. Forgiveness came when God, like the father of the prodigal son, welcomed him back.

I wonder if Jesus looks at us the same way God looked at Manasseh—willing to speak, to warn, and to call us back, even knowing that His words sometimes fall on deaf ears. In Luke 12:49, Jesus says, “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” That fire is not meant to destroy but to purify—to burn away sin and misplaced loyalties so we are motivated to follow Him alone.

Throughout Scripture, God’s presence often comes with fire—fire that wakes people up, brings them to repentance, and realigns their loyalties so He comes first. Jesus longed for that day of Pentecost, when the fire of the Holy Spirit would spread from believer to believer, thousands would repent, and loyalties would shift daily toward Him.

But before that fire could fall, Jesus had His own “baptism” to complete. His baptism began with water in the Jordan but was finished only in His death and resurrection. He endured the cross so we could receive both forgiveness and the Spirit’s fire—so our loyalty to God could be restored.

Our baptism, too, begins with water, welcoming us into God’s family. But it’s not a one-time ritual—it’s a daily reality. Every day, we deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and follow Jesus. And like Manasseh, we need both motivation to keep going and forgiveness for when we fail. Only then can our loyalties stay fixed on Him.

Division

Jesus has already done His part—capturing our attention, calling us back to Himself, giving His life so we can be forgiven, filled with His Spirit, and walk with Him as disciples. But loyalty to Him means cutting ties with other loyalties. And those other loyalties aren’t passive—they are jealous for our hearts. They will fight to stay first in our lives, clinging to the throne that belongs only to Jesus.

Following Jesus is the best choice you will ever make, but it comes with a cost. Those first steps of faith can feel frightening, because following Him means leaving behind the familiar. In our interconnected world, our choices ripple outward—they affect friends, family, and entire networks of relationships. Some people and priorities will feel the loss when we shift our loyalty to Christ. And they will try to pull us back.

Jesus warns that loyalty to Him will cause division, even in our most sacred relationships. Friends, family members, and lifelong allies may not understand. Even cultural values we fight to protect must take second place to Him. Anything else becomes a rival love—and rival loves always demand more than they deserve.

I know this because I’ve been on the wrong side of that story. In middle school, I went with a friend to a youth revival. Something in that service touched him deeply—so deeply that he stayed afterward to pray with the team. I waited outside, restless. When he finally came out, his face was full of relief and hope. But I didn’t ask about it. I didn’t rejoice with him. Instead, I told him, “We’re not going back there.” And we didn’t. My loyalty wasn’t to Christ—it was to keeping our friendship the way I wanted it. In that moment, I became a stumbling block.

Years later, even after I began following Jesus, I’ve felt that same jealous pull when He called people I love to serve Him in ways that took them far from me. The closer the relationship, the stronger the temptation to hold them back. But loyalty to Jesus means releasing them—trusting Him with their path, even if it leads to suffering, even if it’s an ending we wouldn’t choose for them or for ourselves.

We want Jesus to bring peace on earth, and we imagine that means everyone loving everyone equally. But real peace doesn’t come from putting everyone first—it comes from putting Jesus first. Someone will always take second place, and without Him at the top, our love will always be divided and incomplete. Only when our first loyalty is to Christ can His perfect love flow through us to others—love strong enough to endure division, loss, and even the cross.

Knowing the Present

Part of what draws us to Jesus is our desire to understand what we go through in life. Division is everywhere—every family, community, and nation faces it. History proves we can’t fix it by ourselves or simply “wait it out.” It doesn’t get better with time. Only Jesus can make things right.

We want to skip past the struggle and get to that future when He makes all things new. But Jesus calls us back to today. He says we can look at the sky to tell if it’s going to rain, and we can feel the wind to know if it will be hot or cool. In the same way, we should be able to look at our life right now and see what’s really going on. Is the conflict we face the cost of following Jesus? Or is it the result of losing sight of Him and following other voices instead?

You can do many things for Jesus, but that doesn’t mean you’re following Him. Our divided world tells us “it’s the thought that counts.” But in God’s kingdom, it’s obedience that counts. When I was younger, my mom once told me to mop the kitchen floor. I knew how to do it, but I decided it would be more fun to dump the bucket and skate in my socks. I thought my way was better. Mom didn’t. God feels the same way—we don’t get to replace His instructions with our own ideas and still call it obedience.

Some of the deepest divided loyalties are personal. People who love you will pull on your time, energy, and heart. But every one of them needs Jesus more than they need you. If we let them come between us and Him, we don’t just lose our walk with Jesus—they lose their opportunity to get to know Him through us.

So look honestly at your life today. Are you following Jesus? Or are you letting divided loyalties pull you around? Are you obeying His call in this moment, or are you playing at obedience while your heart follows someone—or something—else?

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus,

We need your light in our lives in order to be lights ourselves. We need your peace to be at peace with ourselves. We know we cannot be a witness to your grace and goodness when we are not with you, following where you lead us. Thank you for calling us away from a world that pulls our hearts in every direction until we cannot bear to care anymore. Thank you for giving us your voice to listen to above the noise around us. Thank you for fighting for us against a world that only wants to use us and for being our first love in a way only you can truly be. Help us to love you faithfully and obediently in return. In your holy name. Amen.