Lean Forward

Psalm 82 / Luke 12:49–56 / Jeremiah 23

Luke 12:49-56

Peace or Division?

Luke 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!””

Psalm 82:8 “Arise, O God, judge the earth; for you shall inherit all the nations!”

Do Not Seek Division

Familial

Church

Friendships

False Unities

Peace for the sake of peace is not the goal.

Peace for the sake of rest is not the goal.

False unity is no unity at all.

Are we reading the Signs?

The World?

Churches?

Our Church?

We must be cautious when assigning meaning and direction.

We must not forsake asking the questions.

In all this, The Lord is calling us to contemplation and we need to seek discernment from Him

Jeremiah 23

Where is The Threat?

Obvious? Counterfeit? In-House?

Jeremiah 23:11 “Both prophet and priest are ungodly; even in my house I have found their evil, declares the Lord.”

Jeremiah 23:14 “But in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: they commit adultery and walk in lies; they strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns from his evil; all of them have become like Sodom to me, and its inhabitants like Gomorrah.””

What is The Word?

Jeremiah 23:33 “When one of this people, or a prophet or a priest asks you, ‘What is the burden of the Lord?’ you shall say to them, ‘You are the burden, and I will cast you off, declares the Lord.’”

Hold On & Let Go

Jeremiah 23:21-22 “I did not send the prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in my council, then they would have proclaimed my words to my people, and they would have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their deeds.”

We must ask God to enable us to test and discern messages, reports, directions, even from trusted sources.

What now, then?

First, the Sovereignty of God causes divisions, yet leads to peace and unity

Luke 12 - division yes, but also the establishment and growth of the NT Church

Jeremiah 23 - The nation of Israel did finally fall, but in a way that gave rise to the NT Church, and a continuity for all who believed and followed Messiah

If we pay attention to the narrative arc of Holy Scripture, and the direct teaching of our Lord, we will expect time of upheaval; times of division and confusion, but we will trust that God will lead us through them.

Second, we have a duty to engage

Intentionality

Commitment

Asking and trying

Third, Let’s lean forward!

Lean Forward = fwd progress

Because we believe in God

Because we know faithfulness is ours; results are God’s

Because even when we fall, we can fall forward by God’s enabling grace.

Church Family, let us not become discouraged from the troubled and divisive time in which we live. Neither let us slack on our duty to be engaged and watchful. God is still rescuing lost souls. God is still leading His people. Let us do our best to follow.