Good morning. As we continue to work our way through Luke's discourse here, Jesus discourse here, excuse me, in Luke chapter 12. It's important to remember that all of these topics are connected and one naturally leads into the next. Jesus had taught about covetousness. He taught against the anxious worry about the necessities of life. He told his disciples to seek the kingdom of God. And then he taught his followers to watch and to work in preparation for his return. Now, immediately following that instruction about our responsibility in light of His return, Jesus taught that the Kingdom of God would not come quietly and peacefully. In our text, Jesus taught that He came to send fire on the earth, that there was a baptism, a baptism of judgment He had to endure, and that His ministry would cause, or occasion, division. The kingdom of God would not come while God's people were at ease and asleep. The kingdom of God would not slip into the world quietly and unnoticed. Fire, judgment, and division will happen, ultimately, at the culmination of the kingdom when Christ returns. But it doesn't begin at some unknown point in the future. It began at Christ's ministry. And for this purpose, Jesus came into the world. So we'll look at three points from this passage. judgment or baptism and division. And as we look at these points, we will seek the Lord's wisdom and understanding. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Lord, we pray that as we look at this passage and we see things here from the mouth of Jesus that we might not have expected to see. Lord, I pray that as we look at these verses that we would see clearly the emphasis that Jesus is giving to us, his people, in these verses, that we may take from them what he has for us. It would work in our hearts and our lives to the Holy Spirit. This morning we pray, it's in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, verse 49 begins with the words, just three words there, I am come. I am come. And again there in verse 51 of our text, he says a second time, I am come. In this passage, Jesus revealed some of the purposes of his coming. It's important to remember that Jesus did not have a one-dimensional ministry. We can't speak of Jesus and give just a single reason for his coming. There are many facets to his ministry, many reasons given for his coming. In Matthew 5, 17, Jesus said, Think not I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. Jesus said in Luke 5, 23, I am come to call the right, not the righteous, excuse me, but sinners to repentance. In John 9, 39, for judgment, I am come into this world. John 10, 10, I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly. John 12, 46, I am come a light into the world that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. In John 18, 37, to this end, was I born, for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone that is of the truth, heareth my voice. And on and on we could go. That's just a small sample of the reasons that Jesus gave for his coming. And so as we look at this text where Jesus taught on some of the purposes of his coming, keep in mind, this is not, nor is it intended to be, an all-encompassing description of his ministry. This is just one of the many facets of his ministry, but one that we cannot neglect. Now continuing in verse 49, Jesus said, I am come to send fire on the earth. What is this fire? It is the gospel and all of its effects, which include judgment and also persecution. The gospel goes out like fire, changing all that it comes into contact with. Maybe you've seen some pictures this week from California, and you've seen just the destruction that the fire out there has brought. So the gospel goes out like fire. Everything that it touches, it changes. The gospel gives light and heat and purifies God's people. Those who oppose it are distressed by it. With fiery zeal, the people of God contend for the gospel. We stand firm in the faith. We burn as lights in the world for the glory of God. The gospel has lit a fire within us that no tempest on earth or in hell can quench. Persecutions are sometimes referred to as fiery trials, and they arise as a response to the gospel. The point that Jesus is making here is that the kingdom of God would not enter the world quietly and peacefully. There would be an inferno, a fire, a great fire, on one hand, and in some ways glorious to the church, but terrible to the world. Jesus continued there in verse 49, what will I, if it be already kindled? Or I would, or I wish that it were already kindled. Jesus had no desire to avoid this fire or to quench this fire or to stop this fire from coming. This is why he came. I am come to send fire on the earth. Now, as far as this refers to those persecutions, which would come as a result of the gospel, keep in mind that Jesus is not the author of persecutions. Those sins, as with any sin, come out of the heart of the persecutors. God is not the author of any sin, but Jesus allows it. And in our text, he even indicates it is his desire for this as a part of that fire to begin, because of the good which would come out of it. The fires of persecution are refining fires for the church. And keep in mind that Jesus does not ask his people to walk anywhere where he has not already led by example. He also would face persecution. He would face death. And he alludes to that in the next verse. Let us be willing to follow our Lord wherever he leads. Jesus said, I am come to send fire on the earth. This fire began with Christ, with his ministry. And again, he does not call us to endure anything. He did not willingly submit to himself. Look now at verse 50. but I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how am I straightened until it be accomplished? What is this baptism? It was his suffering and death upon the cross for redemption. This is not the only time that Jesus referred to his sufferings as baptism. In Mark 10, 38, Jesus said to his disciples, you know not what you ask. Can you drink the cup that I drink of and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? Now, why did Jesus choose this word, baptism, to refer to his sufferings? The imagery here, of course, with baptism is water. Jesus used imagery of fire in the previous verse to refer to, at least in part, the sufferings of his followers in the world. We see that water and fire are both biblical images of judgment in scripture. Think of the Israelites when they were delivered out of Egypt, fire and water were part of that deliverance. The cloud of fire, the waters of the Red Sea, the Israelites were delivered, the Egyptians were judged. We see worldwide judgment with water in the time of Noah and the flood of Noah's day. And we will see worldwide judgment again when God destroys the world. And that second destruction will be by fire. There are many more examples that we could point to throughout scripture of both fire and water as imagery of judgment. And so certainly this imagery of water is consistent with other biblical imagery of judgment or affliction. But why did Jesus choose this particular word? Baptism. Baptism. The word itself means to immerse or submerge. And as we pause to think about it, what a fitting word to describe the sufferings that Jesus had to endure. The suffering of Jesus Christ was all-encompassing. He was not merely sprinkled with the judgment of God on behalf of sinners, but he was immersed in that judgment. He suffered like no one else. ever has, or ever will, or ever could. He suffered the judgment of God as only God in the flesh could suffer. Consider what we learn here about the suffering which Jesus had to endure, as he refers to it here in verse 50. Jesus knew that this was soon approaching, that he was soon to suffer the persecution of wicked men and the judgment of holy God in Jerusalem. Get perfect foreknowledge of that suffering which he had to endure. This is not the first time that he discussed his suffering in Luke's gospel. Back in Luke 9 verse 22, Jesus said, the son of man must suffer many things and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes and be slain and raised again the third day. Later on in Luke 9 51, we read, it came to pass when the time was come that he should be received up. He knew this, and knowing this, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem. He knew his time had come to suffer there. Jesus' suffering was sanctified suffering. The persecution and judgment that he would face, it was not all consuming unto annihilation, but suffering meant to accomplish a particular end. This is not like the flood of Noah's day, which totally destroyed all who suffered under that judgment. No, the suffering of Jesus Christ was a suffering of baptism. Jesus would suffer the judgment of God against sin. The wrath of God would be poured out on him, but it would not drown him. He would be fully immersed in the judgment of God against sin, but he would not remain there under the judgment of God. He would die as he had told his disciples, but he would also rise again. He would be raised again. He had already revealed that in Luke 9, 22. The Son of Man will be raised the third day. We see here the precious imagery that is given to the church in the ordinance of baptism. When we are immersed in the waters of baptism, we identify with Jesus Christ in His death. As He suffered and died for us, so we die. We die to the world, the flesh, and the devil. As we go under that water, we identify ourselves with the judgment of God against sin in the death of Jesus Christ. Now, justice would call for us to remain there. submerged under the judgment of God, submerged under that flood of His righteous wrath against sin. That's justice. But by the grace of God, we do not remain there. As Christ was raised, so are we raised in Him. Galatians 2.20 says, I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. The power of God, which raised Jesus Christ from the dead, raises us from spiritual death to spiritual life. Ephesians 2, 1 says, you have be quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins. And earlier on in Ephesians, we're told by what power that is accomplished. Ephesians 1 verses 19 and 20. What is the exceeding greatness of his power to us were to believe according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places. That same power, which raised Christ from the dead, works in us in salvation. And this is pictured for the Church in water baptism. We identify with Christ and His suffering and His death, and then we recognize the new life that we have received through Him. What a beautiful picture. Jesus knew, and He was soon to suffer persecution of wicked men and the judgment of Holy God in Jerusalem. His sufferings were sanctified suffering, And then three, it was God's will to, or it was Jesus' will, to endure this suffering and judgment. He desired for this to happen. Now, Jesus did not desire the sin of Judas' betrayal, or the sin of the Jews and the Romans who acted against him in his crucifixion. These were terrible sins. They were freely and willingly chosen by those who committed them. Jesus actually prayed that those who had sinned against Him in ignorance would be forgiven. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Nor did Jesus delight in His physical suffering or in facing the judgment of God. Jesus dreaded that, but He did delight to do the will of the Father. To see the justice of God satisfied. To see the law fulfilled. to see the salvation of his people. In John 5.30, Jesus said, I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. He prayed in the garden, O my Father, if it were possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt. He looked forward in hope to the fruit which his sufferings would produce. For the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God, for the joy that was set before him." Now he says here in verse 50, "...how I am straightened till it be accomplished." And the word that's translated there as straightened means pressed, or held, or preoccupied. The image is of a man besieged by enemies, surrounded on every side, pressed in. And his desire is to have it out with them and to reach the conclusion of this struggle. Another image would be that of a woman soon approaching the birth of a child. And she knows that there will be travail in childbirth. And there is, in a sense, a dread which accompanies that knowledge. And yet she longs for it because she knows that this is how the life that is within her will enter the world. And so Christ suffered the travail of his body and soul for the sake of us, his spiritual offspring. He, in a sense, dreaded it and yet longed for it to be accomplished. Jesus said he came to send fire upon the earth. This fire would both be given to and endured by his followers. But Jesus does not call us to follow Him where He has not already gone Himself. He suffered for us. He suffered before us. He suffered the persecution of wicked men and the judgment of Holy God. He was willing because it was His Father's will. It glorified God and it accomplished the redemption of God's people. So far from this text, we've looked at fire and baptism, and now we will consider division from verses 51 through 53. Division. In verse 51, Jesus said, Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth. What do you suppose? How would you answer that question if it were asked of you? Do you suppose that Jesus has come to give peace on the earth? And you might say yes, and certainly there is biblical warrant for that answer. Isn't this what the angels implied? When they said in Luke 2, 14, glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace, goodwill toward men. Maybe you've experienced frustration in your Christian life because ever since you have come to Christ in salvation, you have found no peace on earth. You found that your enemies, both within and without, are more numerous and more aggressive than ever before. Now, I thought Jesus was the Prince of Peace. Where is this peace? Jesus said, suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth. We can apply this to the actual experience of Christians upon the earth. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, do not think that he came to give you peace in this sinful world. He did not come to give you such a peace. Do not think that he came to make you comfortable and prosperous and at peace with his enemies in this world. He did not come to give a peace like that. If the whole world were to receive the gospel, we could hope for such a peace. But the whole world does not gladly accept the gospel. The whole world does not bend the knee and confess Christ as Lord now. For most, the gospel is foolish and offensive. This is no new thing, this is how it's always been. 1 Corinthians 1.23, We preach Christ crucified unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness. This is not a failure of the Gospel, this is a function of the Gospel. The Gospel is offensive to sinful man. And we have to be very careful that we do not try to change or adapt or soften the blow of the Gospel to make it more palatable for people. This is done on purpose. God so ordained this so that, as 1 Corinthians 1.29 tells us, no flesh would glory in His presence. Those who disregard the Gospel are not passive toward Jesus and His people, they are hostile toward Him. We do not need to look any further than the crucifixion to see proof of this. That is how they treated our Lord. The perfect man, a man without sin, they crucified him. What should we expect as his followers? We cannot confess Christ and have peace with this sinful world. We see the depth of sin's corrupting influence in the hostility of sinners toward the gospel. People turn the grace of God into a curse, turn God's olive branch into briars, turn God's cordial into poison. Those who reject the gospel of God's grace, they turn it into an occasion for further wickedness by their opposition to it. If there's any here who are outside of Christ, Can you hear who are not Christians? Take warning. You cannot respond to the gospel in a passive or in a neutral way. You are either for Christ or you are against him. There is no neutrality in spiritual matters. Do not reject the gospel and turn it to your own condemnation. Jesus continued on there in verse 51, and he said, I am come to give division. Division. One of the effects of Christ's ministry and an ongoing effect of gospel preaching is division. This is unavoidable. If you would have no division, then you cannot preach the gospel. Jesus came to give division. That's important to realize that the gospel does not in itself cause this division, but it occasions this division. The gospel itself, the gospel of Jesus Christ itself, has an incredible ability to heal divisions between people. Maybe you've experienced this in your own life. One of my favorite examples of this is the testimony of Steve Saint. His father, Nate Saint, was one of the five missionaries who were martyred down in the jungle in Ecuador when they were trying to make contact with a tribe down there that was hostile towards outsiders. These five men, they had made peaceful contact with the tribe, but then later, as you know, they were all attacked, and they were all speared to death on a sandbar in a river where they had landed their plane. You might not know this, but they had firearms. They had brought them along for protection against animals. They could have defended themselves against this attack, but they chose not to, and they chose not to for the sake of the gospel reaching this tribe. They didn't want to close that door. And so they laid down their lives for the gospel sake. Now, Steve's saying he was five years old when his father was killed. His aunt, Rachel Saint, and one of the widows, Elizabeth Elliott, continued their outreach efforts towards this tribe, and eventually they went to live with them. And through their efforts, many members of that tribe later became Christians. When Steve was 10 years old, he went to live with them in the jungle, with that tribe. And when he was 14 years old, Steve was baptized in the river next to that sandbar where nearly 10 years earlier, his father had been martyred. The two men who baptized him were part of that group who had killed his father. Since that time, they had come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. And Steve and his sister, they asked these men to baptize them. Steve considered one of these men as an adoptive father. How can this be? How can you love the man who killed your father? When an American journalist was interviewing him and he asked Steve that question, Steve said, it was only by the power of God through the gospel that such a wound could be healed and that pain could be replaced with the brotherly love for this man. That's the sort of division that the gospel can heal. But when the gospel is rejected or when the gospel is abused, it becomes an occasion for division. And Jesus warned that this division would break even the strong bonds of family or natural affection. He warned that families would be divided by the gospel, and certainly that has been true down throughout church history. Sometimes this division has been physical division because of persecution. At John Bunyan's trial, the judge instructed him to apply for a license to preach in order to avoid going to prison. Bunyan, as you know, was a poor man. His family was destitute. and in great need, and the judge was concerned about them. And so the judge said to Bunyan, think, sir, of your poor wife. Think of your children, and particularly of your pitiful, sightless little girl. Although concerns for his family troubled him deeply, Bunyan refused to compromise. He would not violate his Christian conscience. And as a result, he spent the next 12 and a half years in jail, separated from his family. Sometimes division has been the persecution itself, part of suffering for the gospel's sake. Friends and family have abandoned or turned upon those who have become Christians. In certain parts of this world, if you confess Christ, your family has a responsibility to kill you. Some of us have experienced, to a lesser degree, persecution like this, losses like this for the sake of the gospel, relationships that have been dear to us, have been lost for the gospel's sake. Friends that were once close to us now want nothing to do with us because we confess Christ. Don't be discouraged by this. Don't be disheartened. Jesus warned that this would happen. Jesus did not promise us peace in this sinful world. We are sent out, Jesus said, as sheep in the midst of wolves. But be encouraged by the words of our Lord back in verse 32 of this chapter. Fear not, little flock. For it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." Jesus, he was no prosperity preacher. He did not promise goodness and blessings of all sorts in this world to those who would follow him. He warned his disciples, I am come to send fire on the earth. I have a baptism to be baptized with. I am come to give division. These words from our Lord. Though alarming on the face of them, they are not meant to alarm us, but to brace us. When there are troubles in the world and in our lives, when fires seem to surround us, when enemies beset us from every side, when friends and family abandon us or turn against us, these things are not grounds for despair, but rather confidence. Jesus said He had come for this. Rather than being moved to despair, may we be moved to be diligent, in our Christian duties, more zealous for the gospel, more confirmed in our faith, more confident in our Lord, and more committed to watch and to work in preparation for His return. The kingdom of God has entered the world. It has not entered quietly. It has entered with fire, judgment, division. Let us be faithful in serving our Lord. Lord, we thank you for your word. We thank you, Lord, that you did not send us out or did not commission us without warning. Lord, elsewhere you said that a fool begins to build without first counting the cost and seeing if he has the funds to complete it. Lord, may none of us be foolish. Lord, as we seek to follow you, may we count the cost. May we heed the warning that you gave in this passage, then the Lord also see your hand in the midst of all these things. Lord, we rejoice in your suffering on our behalf. Lord, help us to be faithful as we follow you. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.