August 17 Sunday English Sermon Manuscript

“Discerning”

Luke 12:49–56

“Discerning”Luke 12:49–56

Introduction – Jesus’ Shocking Statement

1. Have you ever been asked this question? “Why did Jesus come to this earth?” You would probably answer like this: “To love us.” “To bring us peace.” “To save us.” This is the most basic response.

2. But in today’s passage, Jesus says something completely different: “I came to set fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” (v.49) “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.” (v.51)

3. In this seemingly paradoxical statement, we realize once again that today’s text is not something we can read lightly. In Jesus’ ministry, which had always been about peace, unity, and love, the expression that He came to bring division and to set the world on fire means that even our confession, “I believe in Jesus!” must be read remembering that it also includes igniting a fire that will burn away the world.

   
   

To Cast Fire

4. “I came to set fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” Here, the word “fire” is used in the verb form “to set on fire.” A similar expression appears in Matthew when Jesus touched the woman suffering from a hemorrhage.

5. When Jesus says that He came to set fire, it does not mean to burn down or destroy, but to spread something new like fire spreads. At that time, Jewish society was operating under rules and traditions created by religious leaders as if they were law. Outwardly they appeared devout, but inwardly they were entangled in power and profit.

6. The fire of Jesus is the fire that burns this corrupt order. When you do a thorough kitchen cleaning and open the cupboard doors, you find dust, expired seasonings, and things that make you exclaim, “This was still here?” Cleaning is bothersome, but only then can you put in something new. The fire of Jesus is like that. The old customs, prejudices, and hypocrisy in my heart must be burned away for something new to enter.

   
   

The Baptism to Receive

7. “But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed!” Here, “baptism” refers to the suffering and crucifixion that Jesus was about to endure. The fire that Jesus came to cast was not possible with “good words” alone. It required the price of the cross.

8. It is the same for us. If we truly want change, we must be willing to pay the price. We must make time, give our hearts, and offer our resources. Faith does not grow with an “in moderation” attitude. Through this verse, we must deeply realize that life in the church is not about just receiving well when given “in moderation,” but that we must be able to share and sacrifice according to what we have received.

9. If we forget that the church is a community of sacrifice, we will keep thinking only about what we have lost. Even being in this place is possible because of someone’s sacrifice. The fellowship meal we share today is also possible because of someone’s sacrifice in preparing it.

10. The greatest reason the church is different from the world is that we are those who, “through sacrifice,” bear one another’s burdens and build up the church. We must remember this well.

    
    

Not Peace, but Division

11. “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one household divided, three against two and two against three. 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.”

12. To understand exactly what it means that He came not to bring peace but division: “peace” is the Greek word “eirene,” meaning “harmony,” and “division” is the word “meros,” meaning “to divide, to separate.”

13. Those who settle into the existing order without much change and without much trouble can interpret this moment as a time of peace. But such complacency is precisely the part that Jesus says must be set on fire, burned, and remade.

14. Therefore, this verse does not mean that He came to cause fights, but that in the process of new change, there will be people with different positions and directions.

15. Between those who follow the truth and those who cling to the existing order, a separation will naturally occur. It is the same today. Older generations have the TV news and YouTube channels they watch, while the younger generation follows different YouTube or social media channels. They watch the same event but interpret it in completely opposite ways. Jesus’ words, “You see the same cloud but say ‘It will rain’ or ‘It will be sunny,’” fit perfectly.

16. But staking your life on this is not wise. Especially in politics, where allies and enemies are clearly divided, such influence can be strong. We must understand this well and have the eyes to see both from a distance. This is the Christian life that Jesus says we should expect.

    
    

Discern the Signs

17. Jesus also said to the crowd, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it happens. And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It will be hot,’ and it happens. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky, how is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?”

18. People can predict the weather amazingly well. They read stock charts, real estate prices, and the latest trends quickly. But often, they do not know what God is doing in their lives.

19. When sudden worries arise, what is your first reaction? I cannot sleep. I keep thinking and thinking, and then I cannot fall asleep.

20. But one day I thought: instead of being unable to sleep from worrying and being anxious, shouldn’t my body’s first reaction be to pray? Shouldn’t it respond that way? Is it normal to just lose sleep instead?

21. The word “hypocrites!” here is “hypokrites,” which means “a person wearing a mask and acting.” Jesus was speaking to those who react quickly and understand things well in living their daily lives, but who live as if wearing a mask in the most important part—life with God.

22. We try to check a text message or social media notification on our smartphones instantly, but when it comes to something God is asking us to do, we hesitate, stall, and cry out, “Why me~!”

23. Like me, when God tells us to pray, instead of praying, we worry and lose sleep—it looks just like that.

24. This verse should clearly be heard by us as a strong rebuke from Jesus, telling us how we should live.

    
    

Yeolin Church – The Blessing of Having Much to Do

25. Last week, I attended the Planning Commission in the City of Orinda. Among the Orinda city council members, the committee in charge of the Housing Element held a meeting where local residents were allowed to attend and were given the opportunity to submit questions or comments in advance.

26. Most people shared the concerns and worries that arise when new houses are built. Listening to the discussion, I realized that this was something that did not require urgent effort—things could be left alone.

27. There is no legal compulsion; knowing that such plans exist, the basic approach of the Housing Element is to easily change zoning to encourage development.

28. This current plan is the 6th cycle to be completed by 2031, but seeing that areas undeveloped during the 5th cycle are now being developed shows that even without hurrying, things will naturally happen.

29. I first felt impatient but then relieved, because Yeolin Church has much to do.

30. Looking week by week, we have to prepare for worship, hold weekly Bible studies, meet in small groups, collect mission offerings for missionaries, and care for church members… and that’s not all.

31. In cooperative ministries, something comes up from time to time, and I have to ask church members to attend—if attendance is low, I worry again. Recently, since our church is taking the lead in the youth retreat, last week we arranged the retreat venue and signed the contract—there are many different tasks.

32. In a few days, Bible study will start, and I worry about how many will sign up. If not many come, what should I do?

33. Some of you might say, “Pastor, why is there so much to do?” But this is not all— we still have to sell the Oakland church building, which is progressing slowly. The parsonage has been neglected for a long time, so the house is in bad shape. When I checked the mailbox, letters and advertisements had piled up—it was embarrassing for the neighbors to see.

34. But in fact, we could just leave it. We could worship moderately, spend time moderately, and the pastor could lead the church moderately. If we ignore the building project behind the church, when someone who really wants to do it comes along, we could decide then.

35. But we bother to care. We spend effort, resources, and time. Why is that? It is to firmly establish the church.

36. If it were not church work but my own property or my own house, I would not do it this way. I would try to maximize the gain and avoid loss as much as possible—that is human nature. But with church matters, there is a bit more relaxation. When we close our eyes moderately, we think someone else will do it.

37. This feeling is natural. I also fall into that temptation. But today’s Word tells us not to conform to the way the world is made according to the passing of time, not to live drifting along with the flow, and not to simply live by following what people have set up.

38. God is pouring new things into us. For this, we must not live as if wearing a mask and acting, but strive with our whole selves to participate in the work God is leading.

39. Sign up for the Trinity Bible Study and let’s gather well. (We talk a lot about things then that we can’t talk about during worship time.) When asked, let’s gather eagerly and prepare with our best. Let Yeolin Church be one that devotes itself to learning the Word, praying, and praising. If we have lived this way until now, let’s try living a little differently—from now on, deeper, wider, and more passionately.

    
    

Conclusion – Do Not Fear the Fire, Let It Burn

40. The fire that Jesus cast was not for the purpose of destruction but the beginning of a new creation. That fire sometimes creates conflict, but that conflict is part of the process of revealing the truth.

41. Are you feeling uneasy and without peace these days? That is not necessarily a bad sign. It could be that Jesus’ fire is burning away the hypocrisy in us and the inertia of the world. So let us not fear the fire.

42. With that fire, let us burn away the old things within us and build the true peace of God’s kingdom. And let us remember: “Do not follow the peace the world speaks of, but strive to follow the true peace that Jesus gives!” Following Jesus, who lit the fire for that peace, I earnestly hope that today we too will live as light and fire in the world.