Not Peace, But a Sword

“I came to cast fire on the earth and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father 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 mother-in-law.” (Luke 12:49-53 ESV)

Parallel Scripture Passage:

But Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” Matthew 10:34-38 ESV

So, what is this saying? It is saying that when we die with Christ to sin, when we are buried with him in death to sin and raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness, and so now our lives are changed, and we are no longer living in sin, but now we are living for the Lord, we are going to be rejected. Even some of our family members may disapprove of us and fight against us, so some of our strongest opposition may come from the people we live with.

For if we were living in sin and for the flesh, or if we were living worldly Christian lives, but then we repented, and so we turned to follow Jesus in obedience, and so we rejected our worldly lives to follow Jesus fully, those around us may not be okay with that. They may not be comfortable with the changes our Lord has made in our lives. For that may make them feel uncomfortable being around us because we are no longer living like them, but now we are being made into the likeness of Jesus Christ.

And this is not about being “stuck-up.” This has nothing to do with pride, or it shouldn’t. This is just the reality of the situation. Worldly people and those living in sin are just not going to feel comfortable being around us if truly our lives are surrendered to Jesus Christ and if we are no longer living like we did before we were surrendered to Christ. Unless.. our lives and our testimonies for Jesus Christ are what draw them to genuine faith in Jesus Christ, too. And we hope that that will also be part of our new reality.

Now Jesus said this so we would know what we are signing up for when we choose to follow him with our lives. For he wants us to know ahead of time the cost of following him with our lives. For he said that if anyone would come after him he must deny self and take up his cross daily (daily die to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. But if we choose not to die to sin and not to live in obedience to our Lord, out of fear of being rejected by other humans, then we are not worthy of him, and we will not have eternal life in him.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

Not Peace, But a Sword

Video Talk

December 10, 2022

https://youtu.be/mJXL9tl390s

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My Sheep  

An Original Work / June 24, 2012  

Based off John 10:1-18 NIV

My sheep hear me. They know me.

They listen to my voice and obey.

I call them and lead them.

They know my voice, so they follow me.

They will never follow strangers.

They will run away from them.

The voice of a stranger they know not;

They do not follow him.

So, I tell you the truth that

I am the gate, so you enter in.

Whoever does enter

Will find forgiveness and will be saved.

Nonetheless whoever enters

Not by the gate; other way,

He is the thief and a robber.

Listen not, the sheep to him.

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,

Who laid his own life down for the sheep.

I know them. They know me.

They will live with me eternally.

The thief only comes to steal and

Kill and to destroy the church.

I have come to give you life that

You may have it to the full… 

They know my voice, so they follow me.

https://vimeo.com/114938263