Do you suppose I came to give peace

1
(No Transcript)
2
Do you suppose I came to give peace?
Luke 1251-53

• Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Isa. 96
• Jesus told His apostles, Peace I leave with you,
  My peace I give to you John 1427
• Jesus disciples have the privilege of possessing
  the peace of God, which surpasses all
  understanding. Phil. 47
• Jesus disciples are to have their feet shod
  with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
  Eph. 615
• Jesus disciples are to preach peace, through
  Jesus ChristHe is Lord of all. Acts 1036
• Jesus disciples are to strive to live peaceably
  with all men. Rom. 1218
• The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking,
  but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy
  Spirit. Rom. 1417
• Jesus disciples are to let the peace of God
  rule in their hearts Col. 315
• Jesus came to bring spiritual peace with God and
  all others who follow after Him.

3
Do you suppose I came to give peace?

• So, why did Jesus say that He came, rather, to
  give division?
• Do you suppose that I came to give peace on
  earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather
  division. For from now on five in one house will
  be divided three against two, and two against
  three. 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. Luke 1251-53

4
Do you suppose I came to give peace?

• The message of Jesus Christ Him crucified is
  divisive!
• Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard
  this saying of Jesus, said, Truly this is the
  Prophet. Others said, This is the Christ. But
  some said, Will the Christ come out of
  Galilee?So there was a division among the
  people because of Him. John 740-43
• They brought him who formerly was blind to the
  Pharisees. Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made
  the clay and opened his eyesTherefore some of
  the Pharisees said, This Man is not from God,
  because He does not keep the Sabbath. Others
  said, How can a man who is a sinner do such
  signs? And there was a division among them.
  John 913-16
• Therefore there was a division again among the
  Jews because of these sayings of Jesus. And
  many of them said, He has a demon and is mad.
  Why do you listen to Him? Others said, These
  are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a
  demon open the eyes of the blind? John
  1019-21

5
Do you suppose I came to give peace?

• The message of Jesus Christ Him crucified is
  divisive!
• For the message of the cross is foolishness to
  those who are perishing, but to us who are being
  saved it is the power of God. 1 Cor. 118
• The cross challenges people, thus it brings
  division.
• Imagine the division brought to a Jewish home
  from the message of Jesus Christs death, burial
  resurrection.
• Error opposes truth. Truth opposes error.
• They are of the world. Therefore they speak as
  of the world, and the world hears them. We are
  of God. He who knows God hears us he who is not
  of God does not hear us. By this we know the
  spirit of truth and the spirit of error. 1
  John 45-6
• The faith requires conviction courage to teach!
• He who lacks conviction courage criticizes he
  who has it.

6
Do you suppose I came to give peace?

• Division is inevitable when some choose to follow
  Christ others reject Him!
• Now it happened in Iconium that they went
  together to the synagogue of the Jews, and so
  spoke that a great multitude both of the Jews and
  of the Greeks believed. But the unbelieving Jews
  stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds
  against the brethren. Therefore they stayed
  there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord,
  who was bearing witness to the word of His grace,
  granting signs and wonders to be done by their
  hands. But the multitude of the city was
  divided part sided with the Jews, and part with
  the apostles. Acts 141-4
• But when Paul perceived that one part were
  Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out
  in the council, Men and brethren, I am a
  Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee concerning the
  hope and resurrection of the dead I am being
  judged! And when he had said this, a dissension
  arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees
  and the assembly was divided. Acts 236-7

7
Do you suppose I came to give peace?

• Division is inevitable when some choose to follow
  Christ others reject Him!
• This sets up strong conflicts, even (and maybe
  especially) in families.
• Being a disciple of Christ is an all-or-nothing,
  wholehearted commitment, affecting every aspect
  of life.
• So when they had brought their boats to land,
  they forsook all and followed Him. Luke 511
• After these things He went out and saw a tax
  collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office.
  And He said to him, Follow Me. So he left all,
  rose up, and followed Him. Luke 527-28
• And another also said, Lord, I will follow You,
  but let me first go and bid them farewell who are
  at my house. But Jesus said to him, No one,
  having put his hand to the plow, and looking
  back, is fit for the kingdom of God. Luke
  961-62
• Disciples must unreservedly surrender to Christ
  His will!

8
Do you suppose I came to give peace?

• What brings about this division?
• And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to
  spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in
  Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid
  food for until now you were not able to receive
  it, and even now you are still not able for you
  are still carnal. For where there are envy,
  strife, and divisions among you, are you not
  carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one
  says, I am of Paul, and another, I am of
  Apollos, are you not carnal? 1 Cor. 31-4
• These are grumblers, complainers, walking
  according to their own lusts and they mouth
  great swelling words, flattering people to gain
  advantage. But you, beloved, remember the words
  which were spoken before by the apostles of our
  Lord Jesus Christ how they told you that there
  would be mockers in the last time who would walk
  according to their own ungodly lusts. These are
  sensual worldly persons, who cause divisions,
  not having the Spirit. Jude 16-19

9
Do you suppose I came to give peace?

• What brings about this division?
• (1) THE WORLD behaving worldly!
• (2) LOYAL CHRISTIANS behaving like Christ!
• There are some things more important than peace!
• Loyalty to Christ must take precedence over our
  dearest loyalties of this earth!

10
Do you suppose I came to give peace?

• Decisions we must make which will sacrifice peace
  with others but guarantee peace with God
• Commit ourselves fully to THE WAY as our top
  priority, with no room for compromise
• A Christian who is truly loyal to Christ has a
  deep conviction of the rightness of Christianity
  and the unique nature of the body of Christ and
  of the impossibility of any other way leading
  people to God.
• Commit ourselves fully to THE TRUTH as our
  top priority, with no room for compromise
• A Christian who is truly loyal to Christ has a
  deep conviction of the absolute truth revealed in
  New Testament and of the impossibility of any
  other truth leading people to God and salvation.
• Commit ourselves fully to THE LIFE as our top
  priority, with no room for compromise
• A Christian who is truly loyal to Christ has a
  deep conviction of the holy life required by God
  for His people and of the impossibility of any
  other lifestyle ever pleasing the God of heaven.

11
Do you suppose I came to give peace?

• Christians must love Christ more than any all
  other things of life material possessions (Luke
  1213-21), physical necessities of life (Luke
  1222-34), dearest family members (Luke
  1249-53 cf. Matt. 1034-39 Luke 1426-27).
• Loyalty to Christ must take precedence! Must not
  compromise!
• Must be prepared to count all things loss for
  Christ (Phil. 37-14)!
• Strife persecution will accompany proclaiming
  the truth.
• Christians must not shrink from fear of
  disturbing people by preaching the truth.
• The truth of Christ is opposed to error and is
  designed to destroy error (and evil), thus this
  truth will bring division when resisted.
• Good and evil will always be at odds.

May God help us have the right attitude, to be at
peace with Him and to never be ashamed of truth!