389. Walking in the Word, Stand Strong for Jesus

We are all called to walk with Jesus, yet we each must make our own intentional decision to allow Him to lead and guide us. Don't let anything keep you from your most merciful and powerful ally as you stand strong for Him. (Luke 12:49-59)   *****   Welcome to Walking in the Word, the biblical teaching arm of the Women World Leaders' podcast. My name is Julie Jenkins, and I am so glad you have joined us as we walk through scripture together, asking God to show us what He wants us to know today. If you are new to Women World Leaders, I want to welcome you and invite you to visit our website, www.womenworldleaders.com, where you can learn all about the ministry. We have some great offerings coming up! We meet on the third Monday of each month on Zoom for a leadership connect – this is a time of fellowship and growth as we learn from each other. This month's topic is Leading a Group, led by me! I have studied leadership and led groups in multiple arenas, and I am so excited to share with you some tools of leading in a group setting. We also have a 2-week prayer seminar coming up in February led by one of our esteemed leaders, Dr. Chidi Kalu, AND we have an in-person event in South Florida on March 11th. There is much to do at Women World Leaders! Our goal is to meet you where you are and empower you to take the next step toward your God-given purpose. But now, let's take a few minutes to slow down and breathe in as we spend time together in God's Word. We are currently walking through the gospels, and our scripture today comes from Luke 12:49-59. Let's begin in prayer. Dear Most Holy God, We come to you in awe of who you are. As we open our eyes and look around, we are astounded by how you provide and care for us each day. Thank you just doesn't seem enough. And yet you ask no more of us. It is your simple desire that we abide in you – so we are here to do just that. God, speak to us – help us understand your words – and guide us in the way you want each of us to walk today. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen. As we meet Jesus today, He has been speaking to the crowd, telling them not to worry about this life, but to prepare to serve God as He calls. Then, He turned directly to His disciples and warned them that those who know what the master wants and refuse to comply, will be deserving of punishment. Teaching them a verse you may be likely familiar with, Luke 12:48… When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required. In today's teaching, Jesus continues speaking to his disciples, giving them a clear view of what was to come. Luke 12:49 from the New Living Translation records Jesus' words… 49 "I have come to set the world on fire, and I wish it were already burning! 50 I have a terrible baptism of suffering ahead of me, and I am under a heavy burden until it is accomplished. Fire in the Old Testament was a reference to both judgment and purification. When Jesus was born, even the angels declared "peace on earth" – and Jesus did indeed usher in a new era of forgiveness, grace, and mercy. Jesus' ultimate goal was to make a way for all men to be reconciled to God, but there was a fire He needed to walk through for that to occur. The cleansing we receive, God's offer of our purification to righteousness, came at a high price for Jesus. He had to walk through the fire of hell for us, and we can get a glimpse from these two verses how difficult that was for Jesus. He says…I have come to set the world on fire, and I wish it were already burning. How many times do we wish the hard part of what we are going through was already over? The missions God sets before us are not always easy or fun – they often take work and focus – sweat and tears. Jesus knew what He came to earth for…and it would take literal blood, sweat, and tears. The "baptism of suffering" that Jesus is referring to is His literal physical death and all the anguish surrounding it. His statement, "I am under a heavy burden until it is accomplished" should make our hearts ache and sing at the same time – we ache for the pain and suffering that Jesus went through, but at the same time, we are so grateful for His selfless act of mercy that made way for our righteous purification. Depite the extreme agony ahead, Jesus knew His mission would usher in division, not peace. He wanted to prepare His disciples for this otherwise unexpected effect. Verse 51…  51 Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other! 52 From now on families will be split apart, three in favor of me, and two against—or two in favor and three against. 53 'Father will be divided against son     and son against father; mother against daughter     and daughter against mother; and mother-in-law against daughter-in-law     and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.'[a]" For some of us, the division of family on account of our belief in Jesus seems hard to imagine. The picture of a perfect family is one who attends church together and trusts God through any difficulty. But in many cases, that is not the reality. Sometimes only a small child in the middle of a godless family is open to receiving Christ. Sometimes one family member gets so mad at God that it sets him or her apart from the rest of the family. And sometimes, church doctrine puts a divide between people who would otherwise cling to each other. The reality is that we are EACH held accountable for our own response to God's call. We must EACH individually pray and discern Jesus' teachings and the Holy Spirit's leading. It is not bad to seek wise counsel, to listen to teachings, and to learn from church doctrine. But the reality is, God imparts His wisdom to EACH of us, and we are INDIVIDUALLY held repsonsible to allow God alone to form our own beliefs and guide our actions. To make this point clear, Jesus turned to the crowd and said… … "When you see clouds beginning to form in the west, you say, 'Here comes a shower.' And you are right. 55 When the south wind blows, you say, 'Today will be a scorcher.' And it is.  Jesus was speaking to a farming community – who were each responsible for their own crops. Clouds forming in the west would have contained moisture from the Mediterranean Sea, and winds blowing from the southern desert would have carried heat. People knew this from awareness and experience – nobody had to teach them. Simply being aware of the sky gave the people clear direction in what they were to do to secure their livelihood. Jesus continues… 56 You fools! You know how to interpret the weather signs of the earth and sky, but you don't know how to interpret the present times. 57 "Why can't you decide for yourselves what is right? God calls EACH of us to make our own decisions to secure our ETERNAL livelihood. And He GIVES us EVERY bit of information we need to make an accurate assessment of what we need to do. So why don't we all agree? Why don't we all see Jesus as our Savior? Perhaps we are too prideful – like the Pharisees. Perhaps we are too self-focused – like Judas. Perhaps we are power-hungry or scared – like those who arrested Jesus. Perhaps we want to go along with the crowd – like those who mocked Jesus. Perhaps we are blind and unaware – like those who went about their days, not bothering to heed the call to listen. In our worlds and in our families, there will be division. Some will listen and follow Jesus. And for a plethora of reasons, others will go their own way. Jesus continued with an allegory…  58 When you are on the way to court with your accuser, try to settle the matter before you get there. Otherwise, your accuser may drag you before the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, who will throw you into prison. 59 And if that happens, you won't be free again until you have paid the very last penny.[b]" Like it or not, as we walk through this life, we are on our way to court with our accuser. We think of Jesus as loving, forgiving, gracious, and merciful. But before we give our lives to Him, the reality is, Jesus is the accuser of our sin. And He is right to be so – because we are sinful. And yet He walks with us. He is there for us. And He will be there for us, waiting with His arms open, until we get to the courtroom and are dragged before the judge. Then, we will be handed over TO be judged. The fire of judgment will be poured out on each of us. Your spouse won't be with you. Your parent won't carry you through. Your sister or brother who has prayed for you, counseled you, and held you up through trials on this earth will no longer be there to offer prayers to shield and protect you. You will be held accountable. On that last day, after your time on this earth is done, and you stand before God, the ultimate judge of all – you WILL be standing alone. Completely and utterly held responsible for every sin in your entire life. UNLESS…you made amends with your accuser along the way! Jesus implores the crowd, and He implores us today…NOW is the time to turn to Jesus and give your life to Him. NOW is the time to make YOUR decision to accept His gift of purification. THEN…when that judgment day comes, you won't be standing alone – because Jesus will be standing WITH you. And He will say…she's with me…I paid for her sins. No one else can or will carry you through that final judgment. Only Jesus can. And He will, if you yield to Him now. So, despite what everyone else says, despite the divisions your decision to follow Christ's will and may cause – your number one priority in this life is to say yes to Jesus. When you say yes to Jesus, He will grant you His kingdom today. When you daily yield to His call, He will empower you to do what He asks you to. When you take an informed stand to walk with Jesus, He will protect you and lead you and guide you. Will it be easy? Jesus said it wouldn't be. He said that division will come, accusations will come, and even hardships may come. But you will NEVER walk alone again. Jesus – the most powerful, loving, forgiving ally there ever was, will be by your side — for eternity. Let's pray… Dear Most Holy God. I pray today that you will guide each person listening into YOUR truth. Thank you for pursuing us with your blood, sweat, and tears. Please grant us your wisdom, strength, and courage to respond to your call despite anything that may come against us. And give us boundaries, God, helping us treat others with the same love, patience, and respect you have shown us even AS we stand strong for you. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.