Sermon Tone Analysis

“I ask God to set me on fire… and let people watch me burn.”

— John Wesley

(Prayer)

We talked a lot about this last week, but look at what Jesus says next:

Why does Christ say He came to bring division instead of peace?

Better yet… Why does He say this right after talking about the Fire He came to bring?

That He wishes were already kindled?

We talked about this a little last week…

— Fire is scary…

— Fire demands a decision…

— Fire separates and consumes…

Even though we are fascinated by it… even though people are drawn to it… the truth is… people do not want to be in it…

That is why it divides… believers from non-believers… moms from daughters… fathers from sons… 3 vs 2 and 2 vs 3…

If we hope to reach those few … those who will receive… then we MUST allow ourselves to be consumed by the Fire of God!

We must pray: “God… Father… Set me on Fire… and let people watch me burn!”

But… Can I tell you this: “We cannot be ‘Immersed in the Kingdom’… or ‘Set on Fire’ for God… if we are not separated from the world.”

That is what the Fire does…

Hebrews 4:12 (NRSV)

12 Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

John tells us that Jesus is the Word…

Is it any wonder that Jesus says that He did not come to bring Peace, but division?

Being “on Fire” for God… For the Kingdom… brings division…

It divides us from people… and from this world…

Why?

We are not of this world… We belong to the Kingdom of God… and when we are on fire… we prove that.

We cannot be “On Fire” for the Kingdom while we have a grip on the world.

We cannot love the world… worldly ideas… worldly theologies… and still serve God!

We will hate one and love the other…

The Word of God… The Fire that Christ’s brings… prevents that… it separates us from the world… and prepares us to be His Children… to serve as His Ambassadors!

When we are “on Fire” for God… we are completely separated from our past lives!

This is something that the Apostle Paul understood well.

Before his conversion… his salvation experience… on the road to Damascus, Paul was a devout… pious… zealous man…

— Zealous for God

— Zealous for Jewish tradition

— Zealous for traditional world & religious views

— He was there… giving his approval to the first martyred witness for Christ…

Now… look at the next verse:

— Zealous for persecuting “Christians”… those followers of “the Way”… because… they were blaspheming God by not holding to Jewish traditions… and the Law.

In the most basic terms… Paul was holding onto the world with everything that he had… he was fighting for it…

We cannot experience the Fire of God… if we are doing that!

We cannot bring the fire to others…We cannot “Love our neighbor”… if we are busy fighting for the world!

The truth is, just like Paul, in that state… we are not on fire for God,… we are on fire for the world!

Now… We know that Paul’s “road to Damascus” experience changed him… and it was more than just his name!

Look at what he says after… his conversion… after Jesus has given him a new life…

Can there be any doubt?

Paul was set on fire for God!

There are 3 things that Paul reveals that we do when we are on fire for Christ.

Motivated by the Love of Christ.

The NIV says that the Love of Christ “compels” us…

What does it mean to be “compelled” by the Love of Christ?

— He has captured 1st place in your heart… He has become your “First Love”… it means…

Paul never seemed to “get over” his salvation experience.

For Paul… Being “on fire” was not an option… His salvation experience demanded it…

Paul’s experience on the road to Damascus was forever etched into his mind… he never forgot it… it was the motivation for everything he did for the rest of his life!

Paul never forgot what Christ did for him…

I wonder… Have we?! Have we forgotten what Christ did for us?

What does that mean?

— simple… “Command me”… (expound)

— It means that we look at our lives and realize just how lost we are…

“I sometimes think about what it’s going to be like to stand before Jesus, and finally realize how lost I would have been had He not saved me.” — J.D. Greer

Have you ever considered that?

Have you ever just stopped… and considered just how lost you were — are … and will be — without Christ?

We sing the song by Mercy Me, “I Can Only Imagine”… and we say it’s a “pretty song”… We love to imagine what it will be like to stand in the presence of God…

But… Do we ever really consider that?!

When I look at the Cross… When I see the scars from where He took the punishment for my sin… Where He paid the price that I owed… Where He suffered and died in the shame that I deserved!

I can’t help but be motivated to do more!

I can’t help but think about how much I owe Him…

But… I think we “see” it… we “realize” it… but… I don’t think we “feel” it…

You see… when we “feel” it… we experience the JOY of living for Him!

That’s our motivation for giving.

We don’t give because God has needs… God multiplies loaves and fishes and pulls tax payments out of fishes’s mouths!

God does not NEED our money… Nor does He WANT it!

God never comes to us… hat in hand… saying, “Please sir, can you spare some cash?

Please sir, just a little bit?”

You see… Here’s the truth about money… and how we spend it… We give our money to the things that hold value to us!

We give because in giving, we declare God’s value to us!

Our giving is our declaration of our Love for God!

HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT THAT?!

Our giving is a declaration of the value we place in Christ!

What does your giving say about the value of Jesus to you?

(No! It’s not all about money… But…)

There is a reason why Jesus said that if you want to know what you really love… follow the trail of your money.

Do you want to know where your heart is?

Then look at your checkbook!

What does your giving say about the value of Jesus to you?

To be compelled by the Love of Christ means… we give it ALL to Him!

When His Love compels you… His Love pours out of you toward others.

You see… We are no longer supposed to see people according to the categories of this world: No rich or poor… powerful or weak… Republican or Democrat… Conservative or Liberal… White, Black, Yellow, or Red… Educated or Blue-collar…

We only see them as Christ sees them… As those who know Him, or have yet to know Him!

In 1912… when the Titanic sank… a gigantic chalkboard was set up in downtown London… on it were only two columns: Saved or Lost.

It didn’t matter how much money anyone had… it didn’t matter what “class” of society they were from… They were simply “saved” or “lost”.

Those are the only two categories that matter!

That’s how Paul sees the world…

He says, “I was one of them… whom the Love of Christ plucked out of the waters of judgment… so … now His love for other perishing people controls the agenda of my life!” (paraphrase Greer’s)

If you really believe the Gospel… It wrecks your life!

You’ll never see people… or your life… the same again!

Does the Love of Christ “compel” you?

2. Measure ourselves by His Sacrifices.

2 words characterize Paul’s description of Christ’s sacrifice: Total and Substitution.

I would say “Total and Complete atonement”… because “substitution” does not mean what we tend to think it means…