Divine Division
Luke 12
49 I came to cast fire upon the earth; and what do I desire, if it
is already kindled?
50 But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened
till it be accomplished!
51 Think ye that I am come to give peace in the earth? I tell you,
Nay; but rather division:
52 for there shall be from henceforth five in one house divided,
three against two, and two against three.
53 They shall be divided, father against son, and son against father;
mother against daughter, and daughter against her mother; mother in
law against her daughter in law, and daughter in law against her mother
in law.
Not peace, but a sword! What strange words from the Prince of Peace.
And yet, we have seen that, though the gospel brings peace to the soul
of man, its proclamation brings division and dissention wherever it
is preached.
1. The proclamation of the gospel brings a separation.
Faith in Christ separates the believer from the unbeliever and
the world as day is separated from the night.
2 Corinthians 6
14 Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers: for what fellowship have
righteousness and iniquity? or what communion hath light with darkness?
15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what portion hath a
believer with an unbeliever?
16 And what agreement hath a temple of God with idols? for we are a
temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in them, and
walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
17 Wherefore Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith
the Lord, And touch no unclean thing; And I will receive you,
a. In the OT, separation was required -
God's people were to be holy - kept apart from the world - from the
heathen - from the unbelievers. They were to be God's alone. They were
to be unmixed.
b. The NT commands separation -
-from the corrupt world system and from compromise with the world
-from unrepentant sinners in the church, that is, those who refused
correction
-from false teachers, churches, and cults who taught error and denied
Biblical truth
c. Our attitude in separation should be -
-hatred toward sin, unrighteousness, and the corrupt world system
-opposition to all forms of false doctrine
-love for those from whom we must separate, and
-fear of God
d. The purpose of separation is -
-perseverance in righteousness, salvation, and faith
-living totally for God, and
-convincing the world of the truth of the gospel
e. The reward of separation is -
-nearness to God
-His protection
-His blessing, and
-His infinite care
2. The proclamation of God's truth brings opposition, division and
persecution, because its principles run counter to those of the world.
James 4
4 Ye adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is
enmity with God? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world
maketh himself an enemy of God.
Whenever you offer up something different, it is threatening,
particularly when you offer light to those who prefer darkness,
because their deeds are evil.
John 3:19 And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the
world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works
were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, and cometh not
to the light, lest his works should be reproved.
3. A life lived according to Christ's standards will bring ridicule
and scorn. If they didn't understand Jesus, they won't understand us
when we live like Him.
John 15: 20 If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if
they kept my word, they will keep yours also.
4. The defense of the NT faith against heresy will bring division,
because people want to have it their own way. People like good preaching -
until it hits home. Then they show what they really believe. Many have
a faith that is fine until something becomes slightly uncomfortable;
then they react.
When we preach the pure faith, the way the Bible presents it, we are
accused of being narrow, intolerant and unforgiving. People can take
it if it's watered down, but in its pure form, the gospel is offensive
to those who want to live compromised and self-serving.
The call
Now here is the practical application of the truth I am sharing with
you today. As in the days of Jesus and the Pharisees, the Lord does
not want us to blindly follow the 'religious crowd'. He wants us to
think - to listen - to search out the truth of His Word - to discover
the truth by His Spirit.
Be careful that you don't blindly follow in zombie-like fashion. There
are too many Christian zombies already, who all look alike, act alike,
and cannot seem to act or think independently of their religious peer
group.
It is too easy to follow the crowd and too easy to fall into error by
doing so. Somebody has to stand up and speak the truth.
I am not saying 'go the opposite way', or 'be different'. I am saying
'think about what you are doing, what you believe, and who you are
listening to'.
I have heard people quote Rush Limbaugh like he was Jesus. He's not!
And his way and his opinion is not always right.
There are those who let the Christian Coalition do their thinking for
them. And the Coalition would tell you themselves not to do that. They
are a wonderful tool for the body of Christ, but that's all they are -
a tool, not a corporate brain so we can abandon our own. Pay attention
to what they say, but act on how the Lord leads you in response.
Thank God for free thinkers down through church history. Men like:
Martin Luther, who broke away from the repressive religious monarchy
of his day and brought the true gospel to the people.
John Wyclif and William Tyndale, who produced the Bible in the language
the people understood so they could read it for themselves, against
the wishes of the church aristocracy.
William Wilberforce, who championed the cause against slavery even
when the church community accepted it as God's will.
Hudson Taylor, who dared to adopt the customs and culture of the people
to whom he was a missionary. He converted people to Jesus, not to Western
culture. He changed the focus of foreign missions.
Men like George Whitefield, John and Charles Wesley, Charles Finney,
and Spurgeon, who could not tolerate the stagnate religion of their
churches. They woke the church up with their fiery preaching.
Men like Parham, Seymore, and others, who brought modern
Pentecostalism into being.
These men were thinkers. They upset applecarts. They muddied the waters.
They caused trouble - yes, they were troublemakers - just like Jesus
was. They brought division wherever they went. But it was division
between those who would slumber in their dead religion and those who
desired new life and a genuine move of God.
Christian, if you are going to be divisive, at least do it Jesus' way.
Stand for righteousness and you will be as divisive as they come - but
it will be a good division. It will separate the men from the boys.
Matthew 5
10 Blessed are they that have been persecuted for righteousness'
sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye when [men] shall reproach you, and persecute you,
and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven:
for so persecuted they the prophets that were before you.
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