Not Peace, but a Sword
Matthew 10:27-39
Jesus Teaches the Fear of God
27 “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you
hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot
kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in
hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of
them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many
sparrows.
Confess Christ Before Men
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess
before My Father who is in heaven.
33 But whoever denies Me before men,
him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
Christ Brings Division
34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to
bring peace but a sword.
35 For I have come to ‘set a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her
mother-in-law’; 36 and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own
household.’ 37 He who loves
father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or
daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not
worthy of Me. 39 He who finds
his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
Sometimes we are
able to forget who actually has the power. Not all of us have to fear losing
our life for sharing the gospel, but we do risk being excommunicated from the
community or our family, we risk losing our jobs, and we can risk losing friendships
that we have had for years.
But if we refuse
to live and share the Gospel (in all the areas of our life) we risk something
even more precious and important then things that are here today and gone
tomorrow. “Jesus leaves no room for secret discipleship.”
It is God that
can create something from nothing, and it is God who can soften hearts. The
enemy may have authority over this earth but there is One who has the ultimate
authority over all.
We must remember
that it is God that has the real power, and then we can be strengthened with
hope and faith. When living by faith we can stand up against fear, we can live
our life for the Lord in all areas of our life, whether we are at work at home
or at church.
It is not Jesus’
desire to see families tore apart, to see friendships end, or to see people
fighting over different beliefs. But He does ask of those who would follow Him
a loyalty and not just a loyalty but an aggressive
and uncompromising loyalty to Him above all else. No relationship or
earthly tie should be allowed to take precedence over our relationship with
Christ. Every true disciple must “take up their cross” and submit their own
interests to God’s. This loyalty may come with consequences (depending on your
perspective), but it also comes with great reward. (him I will also confess
before My Father who is in heaven.) (Jesus took up the
cross for us to death, what price do we pay to take up ours?)
When
we petition
in our prayers to the Father we claim our authority “in Jesus’ name,”
but if we
are not living in Christ and letting Jesus live in us there is no
authority. We can not claim the authority of Christ if we are not
confessing Christ. If we refuse to confess Christ in our work space we
can not expect Christ to move in our workplace. If we refuse to confess
Christ in our home we can not expect Christ to move in our homes. We
must let Christ be involved in every area of our life.
Matthew 11:12
12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom
of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.
There is a “violent” attack on the
Kingdom of God today just as there was 2000 years ago. And what Jesus is saying
is that it will take an “equally strong and radical reaction” to prevail
against the attacks.
The word violent is referring
to an action from people of zeal, a people of passion and dedication, who are
whole heartedly devoted and faithful to the Lord. The word violent is
referring to an action from people who will respond with “radical abandonment”
to worldly ways to make known God’s Kingdom here on earth. To become
undignified.
Luke
12:49-56
Christ Brings Division
49 “I came to send fire on
the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a baptism to
be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished! 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.”
Discern the Time
54 Then He also said to the
multitudes, “Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you
say, ‘A shower is coming’; and so it is. 55 And when you see the south wind blow,
you say, ‘There will be hot weather’; and there is. 56 Hypocrites! You can discern
the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern
this time?
Jesus’ words here say He did not
come to bring peace on earth but to send a fire, and He wasn’t being calm about
this statement either. It was not a peaceful, serene or relaxed statement. It
was violent and aggressive, it was and is intense. It is His outcry to see zeal
in believers to become passionate and aggressive. It is Jesus’ passionate cry for
the Spirit-filled witnesses to rise up in authority with aggressive confidence
that will arouse and antagonize the spirit of the unbelievers.
There
are no peace treaty meetings going on between God and the devil, we are still
at war. We are living in a time of
constant barrage of attacks on the Kingdom of God and the truth. Now is the time to stand up and stand out as
a citizen of the Kingdom. Live as a son or daughter of the King!
Christians
have a peace about them because they know the Prince of Peace. But that is not
all that Christians will be known for. They will also be known for their
authority and aggressiveness to live the gospel and grow the kingdom of God.
Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust
in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
