· Luke 12:49-53 - 49 “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! 51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. 52 From now on there will be five in one family
divided against each other, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
· Can Jesus be a peacemaker and a divider?
· Are you worshipping the real Jesus or a Jesus you made up?
· 49 “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!
· PIX: Refining fire
· Judgment requires a decision: Do I stake my life on Jesus?
· 50 But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed!
· 51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.
· Decision bringsdivision
· Saying you have decided and deciding are two different things.
· 52 From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against
two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against
daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
· 1 Corinthians 7:12-15 12 To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is
willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. 13 And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with
her, she must not divorce him… 15 But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound
in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace.
· Choosing Jesus brings peace and division.
· You choose peace with Jesus or peace with everyone else.
· We lack many things, but eternal life is not one of them. The reward waiting for us in Heaven is of more worth than our current suffering.
LIFE GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE
Starter: Think about a person who had faith in Jesus and it caused him or
her to lose friends. Share his or her
story.
Dig Deeper:
1. Read Luke 12:49
2. In your opinion, why are people reluctant to think about Jesus being judge?
3. Read Luke 12:50
4. Thinking about Pastor Clay’s illustration about cleaning out the septic tank, what does this verse teach us about the perfection and purity of
Jesus?
5. Read Luke 12:51-53
6. If choosing Jesus causes a division between you and someone else, how should you handle it? What should you say to them?
