Jesus Came to Cast Fire

If someone came up to you and asked, “What did Jesus come to earth to do?” how would you answer? If you said that he came to die on the cross, to save the lost, or to give eternal life, you would be right. He did come to do those things. Maybe you also think he came to teach, to make disciples, to heal the sick, and to bring hope to the hopeless. He certainly did those things too. But does it surprise you that in this passage Jesus also says that he came to earth to cast fire? Jesus said so himself. Let’s read verse 49: “[49] I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled!” Or, to put it another way: “Oh, how I wish it were already kindled!” What in the world does Jesus mean when he says he came to cast fire? That sounds pretty ominous. What is this fire that he is so eager to cast upon the earth?

Scripture tells us it is a refining fire. A refining fire does two things: it purifies and it consumes. Think about what it does to metal such as gold or silver. You put the metal into a fire, and the fire removes impurities. The metal is made pure, while the dross and other materials are burned up. This is exactly the kind of fire that Jesus is casting upon the souls of the earth.

This is not a new idea. This refining fire was prophesied in the Old Testament. Malachi 3:2-3: “[2] But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. [3] He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD.” This is one aspect of the fire that Jesus is so eager to cast upon the earth: a fire that will purify God’s people to bring righteousness to the Lord. That is why John the Baptist proclaims in Luke 3:16 that “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” The refining fire that Jesus brings carries with it salvation. It purifies the saints through the work of Christ so that they may be presented blameless before God on the day of judgment.

But the refining fire that Jesus casts upon the earth also consumes and destroys. There is a coming judgment upon the world when Christ returns, and part of that coming judgment is this refining fire that will destroy those who continue to stand against God. The Apostle Paul emphasizes this in 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9: “…when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. [9] They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.”

This refining fire will bring with it God’s wrath for those who are in open rebellion against him, whether through unbelief or disobedience. As John the Baptist says in Luke 3:17, this is an unquenchable fire, meaning it will never end. Those who are destined for this fire will remain there forever.

And it is for that reason that, in this part of our series in Luke, Jesus is pleading with everyone to be ready for this refining fire. You heard last week from Pastor Matt that Jesus warned the crowd to be ready for the Son of Man’s return, and Jesus continues that same theme here, warning them of the coming fire, a dividing fire. The fire will bring salvation to those who are in Christ, and it will bring judgment upon those who are not in Christ. And that is the big idea: Jesus came to cast fire. That is what Jesus came to do, to cast fire on the earth.

But how do we prepare for that reality? That is exactly what Jesus tells us in the rest of this passage. We are to:

Prepare for division
Repent before it’s too late

Prepare for Division

As I mentioned, Jesus has come to cast fire on the earth, but immediately after that statement he begins talking about a baptism and division. Let’s look again at verse 50:

[50] I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished!
[51] Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. [52] For from now on in one house there will be five divided, 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 her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

At the beginning of this passage, Jesus is talking about a baptism, specifically his baptism. Not the baptism at the beginning of Luke by John the Baptist, but his death. He is referring to being immersed in the wrath of God on the cross in order to make atonement for the sins of God’s children who repent and believe in him.

But the cross causes division because it is at the cross that the wrath due to those who trust in Christ is poured out. It is where God redeems his people. But only his people. For those who live in unrepentant sin, whether through unbelief or disobedience, the wrath due to them is not borne by them in Christ. Rather, it awaits them at the judgment. Therefore, the cross divides. It divides those who belong to God from those who do not. And Jesus tells the crowd to expect this.

[51] Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.

When Jesus says this, it may surprise us because it is unexpected. This might not be our instinctive expectation of Jesus. Didn’t he come to give peace? Doesn’t Isaiah 9 proclaim that he is the Prince of Peace? Yes, but perhaps not in the way many people think.

The peace that Christ brings is primarily peace with God. Our sin separates us from our Creator. We have sinned against him. But when we put our faith in Christ, Jesus bears our sin on the cross, and instead of receiving God’s wrath, we receive peace with God. As Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” So Christ is the Prince of Peace because he brings peace between us and God.

But our peace with God causes division on earth. Why is that? Because when we put our faith in Christ, we make him our Lord. He is now our King. We have union with Christ, a new identity in Christ, a new worldview, and we are now part of his kingdom. Christ transforms us. We are now his saints. Naturally, we will be different from those who are not part of his kingdom. We will be different from those who do not make Jesus their Lord. And this is the division that Christ brings. As he says:

[52] For from now on in one house there will be five divided, 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 her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

This is not a division between ethnic groups or political parties. It is much more personal than that. It is potentially a division between you and some of the people closest to you.

When Jesus says, “For from now on…” he indicates that something has changed. There is now a new factor at work. Jesus is implying that he himself is the cause of this division. But it is not simply Jesus walking the earth and physically separating people. What he has in mind is that Christ in you will be the dividing factor.

As I mentioned before, when we repent and put our faith in Christ, we take on a new identity in him. This new identity should be visible to others, so that they see who Christ is and are forced to make a decision. This makes me think of a quote from Jim Elliot that Pastor Matt recently shared: “Father, make of me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me.”

Some will see Christ in us, and even when we invite them to put their faith in Christ, they will decide that it is not for them. They will decline the invitation.

And, painfully, this can even be true of the people we love most. It may be a brother or sister, a mother or father, or even a spouse. Many of us know this reality all too well. Some people in this room may already be experiencing this division within their own families. There are situations where people have given their lives to Christ only to hear their closest relatives and friends say, “That’s great for you, but that’s not for me.” Some of us know that sting.

But Jesus warns us that this is going to happen, and we should prepare for it.

For example, perhaps a family member invites you to participate in a same-sex wedding. You know that if you decline because of your convictions, it will create division in your family. You may even be accused of being a bigot by people you love deeply. Are you going to stand on the truth of God’s Word?

Or perhaps you have given your life to Jesus, but your spouse refuses to come to church with you, and you face difficult conversations every day because of disagreements about raising your children when one of you is a Christian and the other is not. Are you prepared for that?

I know there are people here whose parents do not like the fact that they are at Citylight. These divisions can be painful. Prepare for them.

In fact, this kind of division even makes headlines from time to time. Recently, a well-known actress publicly discussed challenging the Christian beliefs of her teenage son. This is exactly the kind of division Jesus is preparing his people for. Even though the final judgment will come at his second coming, we can already see how Christ divides people in the present.

If this is already your situation, I want to encourage you. The Lord sees you and your trials. Continue to remain steadfast in him. James 1:12:

“[12] Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”

Now, there may be some faithful Christians in this room who have not experienced this kind of division in their families. If that is you, do not ignore this part of the passage. You should still prepare for division. It may not be happening now, but it can come when you least expect it. You need to decide now whether you are going to stand firm on the gospel or be like the seed among thorns and allow the worries of life to pull you away from Christ.

For example, there are many parents of young children in this room. You love your children dearly, but are you prepared for the possibility that one day there may be division between you and them? Perhaps as they grow up, they will abandon the faith and begin following the world. Perhaps one day your son or daughter will enter a same-sex relationship and seek your blessing and support. They may tell you, “If you do not support us, you will never see me again.” Will you remain faithful to Christ and his Word, or will you follow your children into folly?

Or perhaps one of your children will tell you that they no longer identify as the sex God created them to be. They may plead with you to abandon what they see as outdated beliefs. They may warn that your refusal will damage the relationship. What will you do? Are you prepared for that reality?

These kinds of divisions happen. They may not happen for another ten years, but you need to determine now whether you will serve the Lord or follow others into folly. If your child wanders from the path, you must be prepared not to wander with them.

As Tom Schreiner writes:

“If our family members do not side with Jesus, we must decide whether we will stand with Jesus or with our families. Divisions may even separate members of the same household: fathers and sons, mothers and daughters. If family members turn against God or have never turned to him, and we side with them to please them, we are siding against Jesus. The Lord gives grace, for there is nothing sweeter and more delightful than knowing Jesus. We are not to make our families an object of idolatry. Families are wonderful, but we are prepared to meet Jesus only if he is first in our hearts.”

This is the kind of division Jesus is talking about when he says he came to cast fire on the earth. A judgment is coming that will separate God’s people from God’s enemies. We already see the effects of that judgment in the here and now. His judgment is coming.

Are you prepared?

If not, you should repent now before it is too late.

Repent before it’s too late

Now Jesus continues the theme of readiness. After warning that he has come to cast fire and bring division, he moves on to other ways we can prepare ourselves. Let’s look back at the text:

[54] He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.’ And so it happens. [55] And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens. [56] You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?”

What is interesting here is that Jesus uses the term hypocrites. That is a strong term, one usually aimed at the Pharisees or other outwardly religious groups. But here Jesus is speaking to the crowds at large, effectively everyone. Why does he call them hypocrites?

Usually, when we think of hypocrisy, we think of someone pretending to live a certain way while actually living another. Or we think of someone who appears religious outwardly but is not inwardly transformed. At first glance, the word hypocrites may seem out of place here. But it is actually fitting because they know the truth and yet refuse to respond to it appropriately.

Here is Jesus’ point. He is talking about how easy it is to recognize the weather. We all have the ability to do it. We see dark clouds on the horizon and know it is about to rain, so we head inside. If we step outside and feel a warm wind, we know scorching heat is coming and it is time to find some shade. It is not difficult to interpret the weather.

Jesus is saying that if people have enough sense to interpret obvious signs in the weather, they should also be able to interpret the times. Yet they refuse to do so. The crowds watched Jesus heal the sick, cast out demons, and make the blind see, and yet they still refused to recognize the significance of the moment. Even with such obvious signs, they would not acknowledge that Jesus was the Son of God who had come to establish his kingdom and save sinners. Even the Pharisees saw Jesus’ miracles and still refused to believe.

As John MacArthur has observed, they were better weathermen than theologians.

Likewise, we should not be hypocrites. Just as we can see dark clouds on the horizon and know that a storm is coming, we should also be able to interpret the times.

Now, if you are here today and have not yet decided whether you want to give your life to Christ, first, I want to thank you for being here and being willing to hear the Word of God. But second, after hearing this, you may be thinking, “Well, they saw miracles. If I saw a miracle, that would be all I need to become a Christian.”

If that is you, let me say this as kindly as possible: don’t kid yourself.

Here is what I mean. A miracle by itself will not remove every doubt you may have about who Christ is. The very people Jesus is addressing saw miracles and still crucified him because he claimed to be the Son of God. In fact, even Peter, one of Jesus’ closest disciples, saw every miracle Jesus performed. He was even the only disciple who walked on water with Jesus. Yet Peter still denied Jesus three times and then returned to fishing as though Jesus had never come.

If even Peter could witness miracles and still deny Jesus, so can you.

That is why Jesus said in Luke 11:29: “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.”

The sign of Jonah is that just as Jonah spent three days in the fish, Jesus spent three days in the earth and then rose again. That is the sign we need. The tomb is empty, and Jesus has risen.

If you want to know how to interpret the times, it is this: we live between the resurrection and the second coming of Christ. That is how we understand the present age. Just as we see dark clouds gathering and seek shelter before the storm arrives, we should recognize that Christ will return.

We do not know when Jesus will come back, but we know he is coming. Now is the time to seek shelter. Now is the time to repent. Now is the time to turn from the destruction of sin and place your faith in Christ because the judgment and wrath of God are coming. Like a storm, you do not want to be caught in it when it arrives.

And that is exactly what Jesus emphasizes in the next verses.

Let’s look at verses 57-59:

[57] “And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? [58] As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison. [59] I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.”

This is an obvious illustration of what will happen when judgment comes. Jesus’ point is that if you have committed an offense against someone, do not wait until you stand before the judge to deal with it. Once you are before the judge, the sentence must be rendered.

Every soul on earth will one day stand before the Judge and give an account for every sin and every offense ever committed.

Every sin is an offense against our Creator. There are no harmless sins. Perhaps you are thinking, “I’m generally a good person. I think I’ll be okay if I stand before God.”

If that is you, please reconsider.

You may not have committed sins that society regards as especially outrageous, but every sin still deserves judgment. If you have ever lied, you have twisted the truth God created. If you have hated another person, you have hated someone made in God’s image. If you have lusted after another person, you have sinned against the God who made that person fearfully and wonderfully.

All of us have sinned. All of us will have to account for our sins.

But you may also be thinking, “That may be true, but eternal fire seems like a severe punishment for sins such as these.” And it is severe.

The reason it is severe is because our sin is committed against an eternal God. Our sins stand before him, and therefore we deserve punishment. We have sinned against the holy and eternal Creator of all things, and because of that, we deserve the judgment that is coming.

But God has provided an eternal sacrifice on the cross. Because Jesus is the Son of God, only he can bear the full weight of God’s wrath that we deserve. We deserve God’s wrath, yet Christ willingly offered himself on the cross to take that punishment in our place. God freely gave his Son as a sacrifice so that, instead of enduring his fiery judgment forever, we could enjoy his presence forever.

Christ died for us so that we might live forever in his presence.

But this grace belongs to those who repent and follow Jesus. Those of us who are in Christ will not face the fiery judgment because we have settled with our accuser before standing before the Judge. Christ has already borne the punishment on our behalf.

But those who reject Christ refuse that settlement and must face the judgment themselves.

I implore you: judgment is coming. Jesus says it is as easy to recognize as a storm gathering on the horizon. But we do not know when that judgment will arrive and when we will be called to stand before the Judge and answer for our sins. Even if you die before Christ returns, you will still stand before him.

You do not know when you will be summoned before the Judge, but when that day comes, it will be too late to prepare. You may face judgment through death or through the return of Christ in twenty years, twenty days, or even twenty seconds. Christ could return before I finish this sermon.

Settle with your accuser now before you are forced to stand before the Judge.

I am pleading with you: repent now before it is too late. Now is the time to turn to Christ. Seek salvation in Christ now rather than waiting for judgment.

If you are here today and all of this is new to you, and you want to turn to Christ before judgment comes, there is a prayer on the Connect Card that may help you express that desire. The words themselves do not save you. Only Christ saves. But they may help you think through what it means to turn to him. You can also seek prayer from those standing in the back under the prayer signs. They would be glad to pray with you.

Now, before I end, I want to mention that this last point may seem directed only to unbelievers, as though it is merely a warning for those who have not yet put their faith and trust in Christ. While it certainly emphasizes the need to turn to Christ, I want to caution you against thinking that this point has nothing to say to believers.

Here is what I mean: the coming judgment should motivate us to do two things.

First, it should motivate us to stay out of the fire. We can have hope and confidence in Christ as our Savior, but that should never diminish our fear of the Lord.

Let me read Hebrews 10:26-27:

“[26] For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, [27] but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.”

As faithful believers in Christ, we are to humble ourselves continually and run to the cross daily. As Martin Luther pointed out, when Jesus said “repent,” he did not mean it as a one-time action. Rather, the entire life of the believer is to be one of repentance.

The second thing that the fire of judgment should motivate us to do is to be relentless in spreading the gospel to those who desperately need it.

Jude 23 says:“[23] save others by snatching them out of the fire.”

The Lord has ordained that we be his instruments for bringing the good news of salvation to those who are unaware of the coming fiery judgment. We should never become comfortable knowing that there are people in this world, people we work with, people we pass on the street, or even members of our own families, who are headed toward judgment without hearing the good news of Christ.

If you would like to learn more about how to share the gospel with others, I want to invite you to attend the Four class this coming Wednesday. The first part of the class will help you understand and communicate the essentials of the gospel clearly and simply. There is a card on your seat with information and RSVP details.

I do want to emphasize this point.

We do not want to spend our lives simply staying busy with work, chasing dreams, and passing the time until we meet Christ, all while there are people around us who desperately need someone, anyone, to tell them the good news of the gospel, to snatch them out of the fire.

Think of it this way: if you were sitting on your porch and suddenly noticed that part of your neighbor’s house was on fire, most of us would run over, pound on the door, and warn them that they needed to get out immediately.

The same reality exists spiritually.

There is a fire coming.

And I am pleading with you: do not sit by and scroll your life away while the world burns.

Think of all the people, beginning with the apostles and the early church and continuing throughout history, who suffered and sacrificed so that you could hear the gospel and be snatched from the fire.

Do not waste their efforts by keeping that good news to yourself.

As Paul quotes from Isaiah: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

Let’s pray.

Notes

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