Signs of Christ's Mission

Luke 12:49-59

A young man once told me about cleaning out his father’s garage after the funeral

In the back corner was an old toolbox he had seen a thousand times as a kid

Inside the lid was a small envelope with his name on it

He sat down on the concrete floor and opened it

It was not money or documents

It was a handwritten note from his dad

It said I am proud of you and I love you and I wish I had said it more

He said the hardest part was not the sadness

It was the realization that some words had been saved for too late

That is the feeling in Luke 12

Jesus is not wasting words

He is pressing the moment because what is unsettled today becomes heavier tomorrow

Some of us know that feeling

A conversation we kept putting off

A sin we kept excusing

A decision we kept delaying

Then we blinked and time ran ahead of us

Luke 12:49–59 is Jesus speaking with that kind of weight

He is walking toward the cross

He is telling the truth plainly

He is calling people to stop drifting and start deciding

In these verses, the Lord gives us four wake up calls that move us from delay to decision

I. The Purposeful Fire

49 I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?

Jesus is being intense because the stakes are eternal

This fire is not random violence or uncontrolled anger

This fire is God’s holy purpose moving into a world that loves darkness

Fire in Scripture often speaks of God’s purifying work, God’s judging work, and God’s revealing work

And Jesus is telling us that when He comes near, things get exposed and things get changed

A. Cleansing Fire

Malachi 3:2–3 shows the Lord as a refiner who purifies His people

Malachi 3:2–3 KJV

2 But who may abide the day of his coming? And who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: 3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: And he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

A refiner does not hate the gold

He values it

That is why he will not leave the impurities in it

In the same way, the Lord does not turn up the heat because He despises you

He turns it up because He is committed to making you holy

Sometimes the Lord uses conviction, Scripture, preaching, circumstances, even disappointment to burn off the dross

When God turns up the heat, He is often removing what would ruin you

So instead of only praying, Lord take this away, sometimes we need to pray, Lord teach me what this is meant to cleanse

B. Consuming Fire

Hebrews 12:29 says,

Hebrews 12:29 KJV

29 For our God is a consuming fire.

That verse is written to believers

It reminds us that God is not a tame hobby we add to an already full life

God is God!

And when He takes rightful place, He consumes the idols that compete with Him

There are things we all tend to hold onto

Control

Reputation

Comfort

Bitterness

Secret sin

And the presence of Christ presses on those things

The truth is…I don’t get to add Jesus to my life without Jesus changing my life

If my faith never confronts me, I should ask if it is biblical faith at all

C. Clarifying Fire

1 Peter 1:7 teaches that trials prove the genuineness of faith

1 Peter 1:7 KJV

7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Fire separates what is real from what is fake

A fire does not ask permission before it reveals what something is made of

And seasons of pressure in life reveal what we are leaning on

Some people discover they were leaning on routine, not Christ

Some people discover they were leaning on other people, not Christ

But the mercy of God is that He shows us the truth so we can return to Him

Pressure does not create who I am, it reveals who I am.

It clears away the distraction and reveals the real.

A controlled burn in a forest looks dangerous, but it prevents a far worse wildfire later

God’s holy burning is often mercy that keeps sin from spreading unchecked

Jesus is not only bringing fire, He is bearing a weight that will light that fire in the right way

II. The Pressing Baptism

Luke 12:50

Jesus said, “But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!”

This baptism is not water

This is suffering

This is the cross

This is the Lord Jesus being immersed into judgment in our place

When He says He is straitened, He means He is pressed in.

He feels the narrowing

He feels the constraining weight of what is coming

And if you listen closely, you hear both agony and resolve

A. Burdened Heart

Isaiah 53:4 says,

Isaiah 53:4 KJV

4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, And carried our sorrows: Yet we did esteem him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.

Jesus carried more than nails and thorns

He carried the grief that sin brings

He carried the sorrow of a broken world

He carried the weight of our guilt

And He carried it knowingly

He was not tricked into Calvary

He walked there

And He speaks here like a man who knows the hour is near

When I see the weight that Jesus carried for me, it changes how lightly I treat my sin

It changes how casually I speak of forgiveness

It changes how I treat grace cheaply.

Grace cost Him His precious blood

B. Blood Stained Cross

Mark 10:38–39 uses the same picture of baptism for suffering

Mark 10:38–39 KJV

38 But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? 39 And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized:

Jesus would be plunged into suffering and wrath so that sinners could be spared

Christian, when you feel like nobody understands, remember this:

Jesus understands temptation

Jesus understands sorrow

Jesus understands pressure

Hebrews 4:15 tells us,

Hebrews 4:15 KJV

15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

He is not a distant Savior

He is a compassionate High Priest

Jesus did not save me from a distance, He stepped into my pain to redeem me

So I do not run from Him when I am hurting

I run to Him

C. Beautiful Completion

John 19:30

Records His final words before His death, It is finished

Jesus did not die as a victim

He died as a Substitute

He finished the work the Father gave Him

He paid the debt in full

No installment plan

No partial payment

No need for me to add my goodness to His righteousness

I cannot improve the cross, I can only trust the One who completed it

My hope is not my performance, but His finished work

When Jesus brings truth and salvation, it inevitably creates a dividing line

III. The Painful Division

51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: 52 For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. 53 The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

Now, be careful here

Jesus does bring peace

He brings peace with God for those who believe

But He is saying that His coming will not result in universal harmony

Because not everyone will receive Him

And when one person bows to Christ and another person refuses Christ, there will be friction

Even in families

Even in homes

Even among friends

A. Christ Over Comfort

Matthew 10:34–39 teaches us that loyalty to Christ must be above even the closest earthly relationships

Matthew 10:34–39 KJV

34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 36 And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. 37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. 39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

I have watched this over the years

When someone gets serious about the Lord, the people who prefer the old version sometimes push back.

Not always

Sometimes God uses one converted life to awaken others

But sometimes the decision to follow Christ exposes how much others want control

Or how much they dislike conviction

Or how much they depend on shared sin

If I choose comfort over Christ, I will lose both

Because comfort cannot save me

And comfort cannot hold me when I stand before God

B. Costly Allegiance

Luke 9:23 says,

Luke 9:23 KJV

23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Following Jesus means saying no to self rule and yes to Christ rule

It means:

I do not set the terms of discipleship

I do not negotiate obedience

I do not follow when it is convenient and disappear when it is costly

Following Jesus is not part time agreement, it is full time surrender

C. Clear Lines

Micah 7:6 is echoed in these family divisions

Micah 7:6 KJV

6 For the son dishonoureth the father, The daughter riseth up against her mother, The daughter in law against her mother in law; A man’s enemies are the men of his own house.

Sin fractures trust

Sin breeds suspicion

Sin turns love cold

And when the gospel comes in, it draws a clear line

Either I will repent and believe

Or I will defend myself and resist

If the gospel is real, it will not always be popular, even in my own circle

That does not mean we become harsh

It means we become steady, humble, and faithful

A ship in a storm cannot let every passenger vote on the compass

Someone must decide what is true north

Jesus is true north, and His direction exposes who will follow and who will resist

Because division is real and judgment is real, Jesus ends with a direct call to discern the time and settle the case

IV. The Present Decision

54 And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is. 55 And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass. 56 Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time? 57 Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right? 58 When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison. 59 I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite.

Jesus moves from weather talk to soul talk

He rebukes the crowd for reading the sky while ignoring the Savior standing in front of them

They could predict rain

They could feel wind shifts

But they could not recognize the Messiah

That is the danger of religion without repentance

You can be observant and still be lost

You can be informed and still be unconverted

A. Perceive The Signs

Luke 12:54–56

Jesus calls them hypocrites because they can interpret the face of the sky, but not this time

The word hypocrite carries the idea of wearing a mask

They were acting like seekers while refusing the obvious truth

Romans 13:11 KJV

11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

In other words,

the hour is late

Life is short

Judgment is real

The gospel is urgent

If I can recognize a storm on the horizon, I can recognize that God is speaking to me now

So I listen when the Word convicts

I respond when the Spirit prods

I do not silence God with busyness

B. Pursue The Settlement

57 Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right? 58 When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison. 59 I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite.

Jesus uses a courtroom picture to say, Settle before you stand before the judge

The picture is simple

If you are guilty and you know you are guilty, you do not wait until you are standing in court to start negotiating

You settle before you get there and you dont’ take your chances with the judge or a jury

Jesus is saying you do not want to stand before God without peace made

2 Corinthians 5:10 KJV

10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

That is not a scare tactic

That is reality

And mercy is offered now

Romans 5:1 KJV

1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Peace with God is not achieved by doing better

Peace with God is achieved by trusting the One who did it perfectly

Colossians 1:20 KJV

20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

The only lasting settlement is the one Jesus paid for Himself

So I do not bring God my excuses

I bring Him repentance and faith

C. Put It Off No Longer

2 Corinthians 6:2 says,

2 Corinthians 6:2 KJV

2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

I have watched people gamble with tomorrow

I have watched them say, I will get serious later

Then later became never

Friend, your heart does not stay soft by accident

A heart stays soft by responding quickly when God speaks

Delayed obedience is disobedience

Every time I say later, my heart gets a little more used to saying no

An unpaid debt does not get smaller when you ignore it

It grows, it follows you, and eventually it comes due

Jesus is pleading, Do not walk into court when mercy offered you a settlement on the road

The Lord is not trying to scare you into despair, but to awaken you into grace

Conclusion

Jesus speaks of fire because He loves truth

Jesus speaks of a baptism because He is heading to the cross for sinners like us

Jesus speaks of division because you cannot follow Him halfway

Jesus speaks of settlement because judgment is certain and mercy is available

If you are saved but drifting, let the fire of God burn away the compromise tonight

If you are undecided, stop treating eternity like it has an extension

Isaiah 55:6 KJV

6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, Call ye upon him while he is near:

God is not playing hide and seek, but He is calling me to respond while He is speaking

Settle with God before you face the Judge.

Trust the Savior who took the baptism of the cross

Follow His steps with a clean heart … and a clear confession