(Text and Audio)
Title: Calling Down Fire?
Before we get to our text in Luke, I think it is necessary to remind us of the basic message we all must share.
Revelation 4:11 (NASB95)
11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”
Isaiah 55:8–9 (ESV)
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
- God is inconceivably awesome!
Romans 5:12 (NASB95)
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned—
- God is inconceivably awesome!
- We are all sinners by nature and by works.
Revelation 21:8 “But for the cowardly and unbelievingand abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Cowardly = Fearful
Unbelieving = Faithless
Murderer
Immoral persons = sexually immoral
Liars
- Fearful
- Faithless
- Felon
- Fornicator
- Fibber
The penalty for sin is death. The penalty is eternal separation from God in a place of infinite torment.
- God is inconceivably awesome!
- We are all sinners by nature and by works.
- Justice demands a punishment for our guilt.
2 Corinthians 5:20–21 (NASB95)
20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Romans 10:9 (NASB95)
9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
Bryan Chapell tells the story…
Some years ago, I ended up in traffic court because of my son.
I don’t remember the infraction, but I do remember that we had to wait a long time in the courtroom with this line of people in front of us that had to meet the judge and explain their case. And several people in front of us, there was a woman that went before the judge who by her demeanor, by her clothing, showed a certain desperation of life.
And when the judge issued the fine as the penalty for whatever her infraction was, I remember her response vividly as she began to weep and say, “Judge, I’m not denying that I did this, but I cannot pay that fine.
And if you impound my car until I can pay the fine, then I can’t go to work. And if I can’t go to work, then I cannot take care of my children.
Judge, please don’t do this.”
And you just kind of watch the eyes of the judge kind of look at the long line of people behind her and recognize the mayhem that would occur if there was no penalty for traffic transgression.
Instead, what he did was he reached into his own back pocket and took out his wallet, issued the fine, and then said, “Here it is. Take it to the clerk and pay it.”
In which case he became right at the same moment, just and justifier. He would make it right by what he himself would give. And that is what God does for us when he is saying, “I know your sin. I know your weakness. Nobody’s hiding that from me. There has to be a penalty or I am not just, but I will be the justifier through the provision for those for whom Christ died.”
If that’s the provision, how do we receive it?
The judge is offering the payment to the woman. What must she do in order to be justified? What does she have to do?
She has to receive it. She has to receive what he is providing for her. And it’s the very thing that God says to his people throughout the world
- God is inconceivably awesome!
- We are all sinners by nature and by works.
- Justice demands a punishment for our guilt.
- Christ took the guilt so believing repentant sinners can go free.
- Trust him. Repent of your sin and false hopes. Bow to him as your King.
Tell me the story of Jesus,
Write on my heart ev’ry word:
Tell me the story most precious,
Sweetest that ever was heard.
Fanny Crosby
To you and me, the gospel is everything. It delights the soul. It fills us with joy. We can’t imagine any reason to reject it.
Luke 9:51–56 (NASB95)
51 When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem;
52 and He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him.
53 But they did not receive Him, because He was traveling toward Jerusalem.
54 When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”
55 But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of;
56 for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” And they went on to another village.
The gospel is so glorious, but how will you deal with the world’s hatred of it?
Can you handle rejection?
Can you handle hostility?
Judgement is not today.
It will come, but today our mission is spreading the good news of Jesus.