Sermon Tone Analysis

*The Prince of Passion, Part II*

*Topical                December 12, 2004*

* *

The message I brought last week reminded us that the reason Christ came was to ignite our passion for the things of God.

His call to repent was a call to passion – a passion that must continually be sought and exercised lest it be lost in the clamor of the world.

Christ is not only the Prince of Peace that we celebrate during the Christmas season, but also the Prince of Passion for the things of God through which peace comes.

The depth of our love relationship with God is our only source of true and lasting peace.

Our love, indeed passion, for God will lead us in continuing repentance.

But there is more that we can learn about passion and so we continue with today’s message.

When a man and a woman marry and then a child is born into that relationship, everything changes.

Some of you younger parents out there can testify to this best because the experience is so fresh in your lives.

What changes?

You aren’t free to focus just on each other or your own interests anymore.

You can’t count on sleeping through the night anymore.

You can’t go out without arranging for childcare.

All your habits must change such as grocery shopping, meal times, laundry duties, type of furniture required, clothes needed, play times, efforts at education, travel times, potty breaks, patience.

It is possible that one would hate this intrusion except for the fact that the child is your flesh and blood, and so you love this child.

Indeed, you have a passion for this child’s welfare.

Others not of this child’s family probably don’t have the same passion for him or her that you do.

And your passion for anything else is somewhat diminished as you learn to divert your passion to what really matters in your life – because this child is now your life.

In a sense, the birth of a child brings division.

You must now be separated from others and toward this child.

It would be an unnatural thing not to respond to the God-given call to divert your devotion.

So it is with the birth of Christ.

The moment of his birth divided the world at that time and continues to seriously divide the world.

The birth of the Son of God was the most momentous occasion the world has ever witnessed.

His existence demands a decision ultimately to be made by every person alive at the time and every person born after him.

If you are a part of his family (of faith) you love him.

You are filled with passion toward him.

He is your life.

Everything about you is changed because of him.

“Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family.

So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.

He says, "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises."

And again, "I will put my trust in him."

And again he says, "Here am I, and the children God has given me."

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death— that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants.

For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.”

(Heb 2:11-17 NivUS)

 

If you are not a part of his family (of faith) then you are ambivalent toward him or perhaps even hate him.

“"I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!

But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed!

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 family divided against each other, 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."”

(Lu 12:49-53 NivUS)

 

Indeed, Jesus came to incite a passion that would divide the world, even the families of man.

ILLUS: Tom Cox and his 3 sons in MICU at the West VA Hospital.

We will all be divided.

But if you think the cost of that is high here, consider the cost to come.

“"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.

But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.

"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth.

I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

For I have come to turn"‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’

"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

"He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me.

Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward.

And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."”

(Mt 10:32-42 NivUS)

 

“"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.

All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’” (Mt 25:31-36 NivUS)

 

 “"Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’” (Mt 25:41-43 NivUS)

 

 “"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."”

(Mt 25:46 NivUS)

 

This was all spoken of at the beginning of Jesus’ life.

“Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.

And a sword will pierce your own soul too."”

(Lu 2:34-35 NivUS)

 

It was the prophecy of his life even before his coming.

“Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress.

In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan— The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.

You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder.”

(Isa 9:1-3 NivUS)

 

His life was, true to prophecy, announced with a heavenly light.

“"I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near.

A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.

He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the sons of Sheth.”

(Nu 24:17 NivUS)

 

“After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.

When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.”

(Mt 2:9-10 NivUS)

 

He who was to be, and is, and is to come, the Light of the World cannot coexist with darkness.

“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."” (Joh 3:19-21 NivUS)

 

The division is stark and it was immediate.

Consider the characters and events surrounding the Christmas story.

Those on the side of light:

 

The family of John Baptist:

 

          His mother, Elizabeth:

 

“In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!

But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.