Sending Fire on the Earth - Frank Brancato

Our text, this morning is found in the Book of Luke, the 12th

chapter and beginning. There in verse 49 Jesus said, I

came to send fire on the earth and how I wish it were already

kindled but I have a baptism to be baptized with.

And how distressed am I until it's accomplished?

Do you suppose that I came to give peace on Earth?

I tell you not at all, but rather division in verse number

51. It says, Jesus asked the

question, do you suppose? If I came to bring peace on

Earth, He said, I tell you not at all but rather Division and

think back in your mind's eye, as you picture those, perhaps

Pharisees that were in earshot of Jesus or those Jews that

would have really had an expectation of Peace.

In other words, Jesus is going to shatter all Jewish

expectation. When he says, what he says

about. Not bringing peace on Earth and

bringing division now. Jewish expectation in Psalm 72,

the Bible says that in his days the righteous will flourish with

an abundance of Peace. Zacharias, the father of John,

the Baptist said the sun would guide our feet into the way of

Peace when Jesus healed that woman.

You remember, he forgave that woman.

She was bowed down before Jesus and she was crying and she

washed his feet with her tears and dried those feet with her

hair. Jesus said your It has saved you

go in, peace. Jesus further said to his

disciples. Peace, I leave with you.

My peace. I give to you and one more

passage or one more idea. Jews would.

The Jews would have also understood prophecy and Isaiah

Isaiah 9 · chapter mention

chapter 9 and verse 6. It says about the Messiah that

he would be the Prince of Peace in Isaiah 55 and also Isaiah 66.

It says, the Messiah would bring peace.

Nice. But here was the problem.

They thought he met National peace.

They thought it would be a time when Jesus would come and

establish his kingdom and would lift the thumb of Oppression

political oppression, and it would remove the thumb of Rome

from them and be lifted. And they would have peace from

that. They misunderstood you remember

in the last week in the life of Jesus, when Jesus is traveling

to Jerusalem and heading there, for the Passover, there were

many that followed Jesus because they thought when he gets to the

kingdom, he's going to establish his kingdom in Jerusalem.

Elam and it would be a worldly Earthly Kingdom and religious

and had nothing to do with religion.

But what Jesus was talking about is Jesus was talking about

spiritual, peace. And may I just say this, we may

have unrest in our country. People are divided in our

country. Political parties are divided.

I got to share something with you.

The first time I've ever seen this, there were these little

boys the other day and I overheard them, you know,

they're arguing over. You know, I was a little boy of

ten years old, I was thinking about throwing a ball around or

playing with toys. I was thinking about hanging out

with my friends, you know what they were arguing over?

One said, Biden is a Biden is horrible.

And the other guy said, I'm not going to talk to you anymore.

If you badmouth mine, I'll pull it back and forth about politics

arguing. So it's true that our country is

divided with regards to political ideas.

Okay. What about in the world?

What about unrest, in the world? There's all kinds of unrest

right now. We've gone through this

pandemic, we have things that we have not had before and we had

we have to talk about and deal with K.

We've been inconvenienced. We pray to God that we will have

peace in this world and there will be War.

Absolutely, we pray to God, that the laws of our country would

not keep us from worshiping God. We pray for that.

We pray that there won't be unrest and when God answers

those prayers favorably he does. So by his Providence and an

answer to prayer, and that's wonderful, and that's great, but

that's not what he promised when he talked about promising,

peace. It was talking about spiritual

peace. And may I say this, the peace

that surpasses all understanding that the Bible talks about in

The Book of Philippians chapter 4 is having the peace that

Philippians 4 · chapter mention

everything is okay between you and God from a spiritual

perspective and that is not subject to circumstances.

That means, you can have all kinds of bad stuff going on, but

you can be at peace because that's spiritual peace, and it's

not subject to the circumstances of life.

Now interestingly, though Jesus says this, Do you suppose that I

came to give peace on Earth? I tell you not at all. but

rather division, what we have here is, we've got Division and

we have a dividing event And we have also a dividing instrument,

please get that. And really this sermon has two

points, the dividing event, and the dividing instrument.

Now, let's talk about the dividing event for just a moment

in Luke chapter 12. Beginning in verse 49, 50, I

Luke 12 · chapter mention

came to send fire on Earth how I wish it were already kindled,

but I have a baptism to be baptized with and how distressed

I am until it is accomplished. I'm going to get to that event

and, you know, just a moment but notice this, that one event,

divides people into two categories and that division is

in both time and also eternity. Okay, the dividing event.

So, let's notice in verse 49. Jesus says, I came to send fire

on the earth. This phrase I came by the way,

you can trace it through the New Testament and you can find it to

be a technical phrase or Term describing it aspect of the

Lord's Ministry or his purpose, or his mission.

For example, he came to seek and save that, which is lost in the

great Sermon on the Mount. He said, think not that.

I've come to destroy the law or the prophets.

I didn't come to destroy, but to fulfill.

So anytime the Bible talks about the Lord, saying I have come or

I came, it always refers to various aspects of his mission.

What did he say? What was this?

Purpose. His purpose was to send fire on

the Earth. Now, let's talk about fire for

just a minute. Fire does one of two things.

It consumes or it purifies. It consumes that, which is

combustible. It purifies that which is non

combustible now. Purifying is a good thing

consuming is a bad thing. In other words, it matters what

you subject to the flame. You've heard me say this many

times over the years, the fire that melts, the wax is also the

same fire that will harden the clay.

It depends on what you subject to the flame.

So, fire does two things. The purpose that Jesus said I

came to bring fire on the earth and fire either can Zooms or it

purifies something else does too.

And that's the gospel, the gospel purifies or punishes or

condemns one of the two. Now how do you know how do you

know if the gospel is purifying or punishing it's based on your

response? The gospel either saves orphans.

I'm going to tell you, we believe what the word of God

says, and we're so thankful that there's a message given and

there's a way that we could be saved.

And the Bible says that God has chosen the foolish Miss of

preaching to save them that believe the world thinks it's

foolish and sometimes people that reject the gospel, they

think it's foolish. How many people in your life

think the way you believe in the way you practice in the way you

Worship in the way you live, how many people have thought you're

ridiculous? How many people have criticized

you in your life? And said, I don't understand how

you can go for all that stuff. It either saves or fangs and

what determines whether it's saves her fins.

Is your response to the gospel in verse 49?

after he said, I came to send fire on the earth and he said

this and how I wish It were already kindled.

Now that's an interesting phrase because kindling is something

that gets fire started. The new King James says, how I

wish you were already kindled, and I like that because that's

in the form of a statement, the King James.

Renders it like this, more, like a question, it says, and what

will I if it be already kindled? So what we're talking about is

this, we're talking about an event, a dividing event.

He said I came to bring fire on The Earth and how I wish you

were already kindled. Interesting about that phrase,

it's talking about this. It's talking about I wish you

were already over. Okay, I wish it were already

over. What's the event?

The event is the cross. The event is the cross, the

event is the kindling. To get the fire started. now in

verse 50, Jesus said, but I have a baptism to be baptized with

and how distressed I am until it is accomplished, make no mistake

about it. The Garden of Gethsemane was not

the only time the Lord was in agony.

When his soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.

Don't think for a minute, that the only time he felt that the

only time that he felt that was in The Garden of Gethsemane.

The Lord lived, a life of Perpetual Gethsemane.

He knew from the very foundation of the world that it was God's

Will from the foundation of the world.

God's appointed will that Jesus Christ would be the Lamb of God

and die for the sins of the world.

Jesus knew that he willingly came to this earth lived, a life

that was flawless. Alice and Perfection sinless

Perfection, so that he could be God's lamb and go to the cross

and died for the sins of the world in the Garden of

Gethsemane, though. We see it brought forth when he

prays to his father, multiple times.

If it be possible, let this cup pass from me.

But not my will, but your will be done.

Finally with a determined resolve.

He said if there's no other way except I drink it, he said your

will be done. That's the Garden of Gethsemane.

This is before the Garden of Gethsemane.

And he says this. I have a baptism to be baptized

with and how distressed I am until it is accomplished.

So what's that talking about? That's talking about the the

cross in Matthew chapter 20? You remember this when the

Matthew 20 · chapter mention

mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with the sons and

said, when you established your kingdom, and when you go into

your kingdom, would you put my son one here on the left and one

here on the right. In other words, give them a leg

up in the Kingdom. You know what?

Jesus said, he said you did not know what you ask.

Are you able to drink the cup that I'm about to drink and be

baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?

You know, interestingly about the word baptism.

The word baptism, there means to its Baptiste.

So it means to plunge, Dipper, immerse.

We know that, right? And for water baptism.

How many times have we describe what that means?

And for scriptural, baptism? It has to be in water as a

burial. We get that.

But did you know? The word baptizo also has a

fourth definition, and this is the definition that Jesus is

using baptism here. The fourth definition, literally

means to be overwhelmed. It means to be.

In fear. Make no mistake about it.

It doesn't take anything away from the Lord.

When we say he had fear. Because there is no such thing

as courage when there is no fear.

So, to have courage and stand for courage and stand for,

right? You have to have some fear what

he's saying is the baptism. He's overwhelmed with this.

And then he says this. I am distressed.

That's what the Lord said. And the word distress literally

means to cease or be overcome with fear until it is

accomplished. So notice this, there's one

event dividing event. It divides people into two

categories and that one event is the cross.

The dividing instrument is the gospel and Jesus knew that the

gospel would divide. So we This.

I wish it was already kindled. In other words, the cross part

was out of the way. I am troubled with fear.

I am distressed I am seized in that regard.

So the one event is the cross, the dividing instrument is the

gospel and that division is in Time and Eternity.

Both Now, we understand that, don't we?

We understand about About time about eternity in eternity.

Luke chapter 12, not going to go into these passages, but it

Luke 12 · chapter mention

describes two different kinds of people.

It describes an obedient person and a disobedient person.

And we understand that, right, we get that, obviously the

reason we serve God is, we want to go to heaven, but we also

don't want to be lost. And we also understand this too

that, the long-suffering of God is salvation.

God wants everybody to be saved, but not everybody is saying,

why, because of their lack of response to the gospel.

Oil and living a Godly life. That's what the Bible says.

So, we get that. So, when I look at this idea in

eternity, I understand there's going to be saved and lost but

what about this? What about in time?

In verse 52 of Luke 12. Jesus says, for from now on five

and one house will be divided three against two and two

against three. In other words, this is how it's

going to be moving forward. Father will be divided against

son and son against father, and mother against daughter and

daughter, against mother, and mother-in-law against her

daughter-in-law, and a daughter-in-law against her

mother-in-law. Do you know why?

Because the gospel divides. The gospel divides and that's

how it is. I want to share something with

you. One of my favorite passages.

In all the scriptures when Jesus dealt with three men.

He dealt with three men that kind of acted like they were

going to follow him but something kept them from total

commitment, some stood in their way.

The first guy was a scribe and Jesus conveys to him basically

which standing in your way is lifestyle, your lifestyle

standing in the way. The second guy, the riches

worldly riches were standing in his way.

But the third guy, he said I will follow you, but let me

first go bid them farewell who were at my house and Jesus says

no man putting his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for

the kingdom of God. We understand what that means.

It was an ancient proverb dating back to 800 BC, and it means

this, you can't plow a straight Furrow when your eyes are

looking back. What did the Lord know about

this, man? He knew that family ties were

keeping him from following Jesus.

Now, you may never have to give up your lifestyle.

I don't whatever your lifestyle is.

You may not have to give up your lifestyle to follow Jesus, but

you have to be willing to you may not have to give up riches.

You may have all kinds of wealth are wealthy people in the Bible.

Their wolf wonderful people that use their money for the cause of

Christ. Wonderful stuff.

You may not have to give up your riches or things of that nature

in life to follow Jesus. But you have to be willing, And

you know what? You may never have to stand

against family. But you have to be willing.

I don't know how that is in your life, but I'll tell you this

right now. Serving, God is everything.

I've told this story before 1984, but the young man that

wanted to obey the gospel and he wanted to be baptized and my dad

was talking to him and he understood what he needed to do.

And he's probably I think he was probably about 15 or so at the

time, And we went to his family's house and said that he

wanted to obey the gospel and the grandmother said, if you do

this you're out of my will you're out of the will that

young man says leave me out. In other words, Family Ties.

Did not stand in his way. We can't let anything stand in

our way. So, here's the big question, as

I close as I close Is it worth it?

Is it worth it? Because anytime you pay a price

for something, you have to ask yourself, is it worth it?

And things of Great Value are valuable because of what you're

willing to give up for it. We understand that that's our

life that we live. So I'm asking you this, if you

have to stand against everything in the world, that comes your

way to follow Jesus, are you willing to do it?

And is it worth it? Well, that question was also

asked in Matthew 19, then Peter answered and said to him.

See we have left all and followed you Therefore, what

shall we have two verses later love?

This is what the Lord said, this is about the worst.

That part, what are we going to have verse 29?

Everyone who has left houses, or brothers or sisters or father or

mother, or wife or children or lands for my name's sake, shall

receive a hundredfold and inherit eternal life. do you

remember when Jesus said, Except you eat my flesh and drink my

blood. You shall not have eternal life,

remember that? By the way, I don't believe

that's talk about the communion. He's talking about obedience to

the word of God. Okay?

And that's what how he described it.

You know what the Bible says, the Bible says that many stopped

walking with the Lord, because of what he said, And you can

almost hear, can you not the tone in the Lord's voice as he

turns to his disciples? And he said, what about you will

you also go away? And Peter says to whom shall we

go for you have the words of eternal life?

Is it worth it? Yeah, it's worth it.

It's worth anything and everything to follow the law.

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