We will be reading from the Gospel
of Luke chapter 2 this morning, Luke chapter 2 and Luke chapter
12, if you want to follow along in your Bibles. Now, all of the
past week, most of the world has taken part in the observance
of what is called Christmas. And what I'm about to say This
message is not meant to be a sermon against Christmas, per se. I'm all in favor of people being
kind and generous at least once a year. And although the scriptures
do not tell us to celebrate Christ's birth, but rather to worship
the crucified and risen Lord, to to commemorate his death,
burial, and resurrection. But what I simply want to state
this morning, though, is something which very few persons in this
world have probably heard our Lord say. Very few have heard
him say these things. Now, in the Gospel of Luke, chapter
2, is the familiar story of the angels heralding the birth of
the Christ child, and in verses 13 and 14, I read, Suddenly there
was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising
God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace, goodwill toward men. Now, as so many verses of Scripture
in God's Word, this one has been misquoted and therefore misunderstood. widely misquoted and misunderstood. Note, it does not say, peace
on earth, but rather, on earth, peace, goodwill toward men. Now, before you think I'm splitting
hairs on this verse, I'm not, because our Lord is going to
say something concerning that in a moment. And you can turn
there, if you will, the gospel of Luke chapter 12. It does not
say peace on earth. In other words, the angels are
not saying that this one who is coming, this Christ, will
create peace on earth, that he will bring peace between peoples
of the earth, that he will bring peace in the home or peace between
enemies. Oh, no, we are going to see that
it is quite the contrary. Peace that they are speaking
of here, the peace the angels declare here, it said, on earth
peace, goodwill toward men. Not mankind, not man in general,
not all in general, but men, individuals. Peace, goodwill
toward men. This peace which the angels are
declaring is the peace which Jesus Christ will obtain by the
sacrifice of himself. by the blood of his cross for
his people, the people who were given to him by the Father in
a covenant before the world began. Now, these are scriptural truths.
A people given to Christ, a people who were children of wrath, even
as others, given to Christ to reconcile to God, to make friendly
to God, that is, to to break down the enmity in their hearts
and minds toward God, and to cause them to bow and worship
and love this God. This peace which Christ obtained
by the blood of his cross was for his people toward a holy
and just and righteous God. Christ was not an offer of peace
for all, but a peace offering for some. Men, it says, not man,
God's elect, whom he chose, whom he loved, whom he purposed to
save, whom the good will or good pleasure of God was toward. This
is why Jesus Christ came, not to bring or make peace on earth. No, no, he himself said there
would be wars and rumors of war. This was no cry of peace, peace,
when there is no peace, but a cry of Christ making peace, reconciling
his people to his Father. Now, look in Luke chapter 12
with me. In verse 51, our Lord says this. Listen very carefully. If you're
not reading it with me, listen very carefully to what the Lord
Jesus Christ says. He says, suppose ye, that I am
come to give peace on earth, I tell you, nay, but rather division."
Now, that's a striking statement, isn't it? It's absolutely contrary
to what men are saying today. Peace on earth? No, Christ said,
but rather division. And the first thing he said in
verse 49 was this. Listen as I read Luke 12, verse
49. Jesus Christ is speaking and
says, I am come to send fire on the earth. And then in verse
51 he says, and division. Fire and division. Not peace on earth, but fire
and division. Do you understand what he's talking
about? If you want to turn with me to
the book of Malachi, the last book in the Old Testament, the
last of the Old Testament prophets, or rather, the one preceding
John, who was truly the last prophet. But Malachi chapter
3 verse 2 says this, Who may abide the day of his coming,
speaking of the Lord, In verse 1 it says he will suddenly come
to his temple. The Lord, yes, Jehovah, yes,
God manifest in the flesh, shall suddenly come to his temple.
And it says, ìWho may abide the day of his coming? Who shall
stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refinerís fire,
a refinerís fire, the Lord who will come.î Our God, Hebrews
12.29 says, is a consuming fire, and God was in Christ reconciling
his people out of the world unto himself. God was in Christ reconciling
the world unto himself, and God was manifest in the flesh. And
when this holy and righteous God came to earth, it says, his
fiery wrath was kindled. Do you remember his first appearance
in Jerusalem, in the temple? When he came into the temple
of Jerusalem, it was not a kindly scene. It was not a compassionate
scene. But it was rather this one who
came as a refiner's fire. And what he did, the first thing
he did upon entering that temple in Jerusalem as a 30-year-old
man, was he plaited a whip. He made a whip. And he went into
that temple and overturned the tables and drove out the merchandisers,
those who sold religious trinkets and jewels and were con men in
religion. He drove them out with a whip,
which was the fulfillment of the prophecy, the zeal of my
house has eaten me up. The zeal of God's house. He said,
God, my Father's house is to be a house of prayer. You've
made it a den of thieves. Well, Christ came as a fire. He even calls his preachers fiery
tongue preachers. That's the fire that fell at
Pentecost. It wasn't literal fire. It was
fire that burned in the hearts of those preachers, Peter and
the rest of the apostles. It wasn't literal fire. Oh no,
God's Word is called a fire. He said in Jeremiah, is not my
Word a fire and a hammer? And this Word of God which comes,
it burns within the heart of the true preacher as it did Christ. Over in the book of Isaiah chapter
6, Isaiah chapter 6, that coal, you remember when the angel took
a coal from the altar and laid it on the lips of Isaiah and
said, That's the Word of God, which is as a fire. And when
God's Word comes, a Word which tells us of a holy and just God,
a God who is first to be feared, a God who demands blood, yes,
blood for the remission of sin. When this God is declared, the
gospel of justice and blood sacrifice, it will burn up all wood, hay,
and stubble of religion, the merely emotional and sentimental
religion. It will consume man's works.
They are not pure enough. It will try us and find us wanting. It will burn away all refuge
of lies and hypocrisy, all of man's works. And what better
be found after that is pure faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, God-given
faith, which he calls gold, which he also says will be tried in
the fire of affliction and persecution. Until all dross is removed by
the fire of God's Word and the fire of trials, all dross, all
man's works, all flesh, God's Word, Christ's Word brings fire. And then he said in chapter 12
of Luke, he said it brings division. I come to bring division. Not
peace on earth, but rather division, he said. I'm reading verses 51
through 53. Suppose ye that I am come to
give peace on earth, I tell you, nay, but rather division. For
from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three
against two and two against three. The father shall be divided against
the son, and the son against the father, and the mother against
the daughter, and the daughter against the mother, and the mother-in-law
against her daughter-in-law, and the daughter-in-law against
her mother-in-law. Division, he said. And you know,
the first place that this division takes place, really, is in the
heart of that person whom God sends His Word to. Over in Hebrews
chapter 4, Verse 12, it says, The Word of God is quick and
powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword. The Word of God is called
a fire and a hammer and a sword, piercing even to the dividing
asunder of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, a discerner
of the thoughts and intents of the heart. God's Word divides
a person. Yes, He does. Yes, it does. The Word comes. And it brings
division in a person. You see, we are all born in the
flesh thinking natural thoughts about God, about ourselves, about
how we may get to God or what salvation is. Everyone is born
saying this, ìWell, I think. I think.î And when God sends
his It separates, it divides, it reaches down to the recesses
of a man's thoughts, intents of his heart, and reveals that
his thoughts, like Psalm 50 says, his thoughts are not God's thoughts.
That the way he thought, there is a way that seemeth right unto
man, but the end is death and destruction, Scripture says.
God's word divides flesh from spirit. reveals what is truly
true worship, and that is in the Spirit and truth. It reveals
man's thoughts as opposed to God's thoughts, man's ways which
are opposed to God's ways, salvation by works as opposed to salvation
by grace, man's glory as opposed to God's glory. And then when
someone, when God takes this word and pierces their heart,
And when God's word comes and he creates faith within them,
trusting God, trusting Christ alone, believing God, believing
God's word, believing God's salvation, God's way of salvation, which
is Christ, then that someone believes the truth and tells
others. And they will turn against him
or her. They will hate and persecute
that believer for the truth's sake. Peace on earth? Nay, but rather fire and a sword
and division. Well, may God use this very word
to do that in the heart of someone this morning. Amen. you