Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Gospel reading, Luke 13:31-35. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- Is our life of faith, and our service to God, to be completely a matter of freedom? Paul wrote to the Ephesians: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has foreordained that we should be walking in them.”
- So we surely have things to do as God’s dearly beloved children, things that He has “foreordained” for us to be doing. Are these entirely within the realm of freedom, or is there a certain “compulsion,” or a “necessity”?
- Now of course it is always far better for us to take up our Christian calling and duties freely, even joyfully, out of love for God. But there are times that we face great difficulty and challenge, and perhaps even threat and danger. What are we to do in such circumstances?
- We see Jeremiah struggling with this in the Old Testament reading for last Sunday. And in our text, it is Jesus Who touches upon the “necessity” that inheres to our calling. It is important to consider that “OUR CALLING HAS NECESSITY.”
I. We Too Will Have To Face Opposition, Even Danger
Jer. 26: “The priests and the prophets said to the officials and to all the people, ‘This man deserves the sentence of death, because he has prophesied against this city.”
Text: “That very hour some Pharisees came and said to Jesus, ‘Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.’”
Statement: Of all the prophets, Jeremiah seems to have faced the toughest opposition, and received the worst treatment. This in spite of the fact that at his calling by God, God announced to him: “Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD. Then the LORD put out His hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me, “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” [Jer. 1:8-10] At times he felt that this promise had deceived him, but ultimately his word, the Word that God had given him to speak, did prevail! And we are all well aware of the degree of opposition that Jesus faced – even death on the cross.
Application: We should not think that our Christian life will be different. The apostle Paul assured the Christians at Antioch: “We must through much tribulation enter the kingdom of God.” [Acts 14:22] Jesus told His disciples: “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My Word, they will also keep yours.” He also told His disciples: “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Transition: But regardless of the opposition and danger:
II. We Have Important Duty, And Our Destiny Is In God’s Hand
Jeremiah 26: “Then Jeremiah spoke to all the officials and all the people, saying, ‘The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and this city all the words you have heard. . . . But as for me, I am in your hands. Do with me as seems good and right to you. Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood upon yourselves and upon this city and its inhabitants, for in truth the Lord sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears.”
Text: Jesus said to them, ‘Go and tell that fox, Behold I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish My course. Nevertheless, I must go on My way today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.”
Statement: Jeremiah grew weary of his ministry, and at one point wrote: “If I say, ‘I will not mention Him, or speak any more in His name,’ there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.” [Jer. 20:9] This is also the inner compulsion we have to speak God’s Word to others. We are called to make disciples of all nations, teaching them and baptizing them. Like Jeremiah, we can become weary of all the opposition, but we have a destiny that is in God’s hands, for we are His workmanship!
Application: Now, our duties and calling may not be as dramatic as Jeremiah’s, and certainly not as important as Jesus’ calling. Still, it is important enough to God – “Who wills all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” – that we continue in our calling, and see how necessary this is!
Transition: Like Jeremiah, we too may grow weary of the conflict with the unbelieving, and their persecution. But our speaking has a purpose even with the unbelieving, for:
III. Our Calling Bears Witness Even To The Unbelieving – And This Provides Evidence Against Them On The Last Day
Text: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often I would have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!”
Luke 9:5 “And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”
Statement: The apostle Paul described this duality that Christians possess as they bear God’s Word to others: “For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?” [2 Cor. 2:15,16] As Paul concludes, the only way we can continue in our calling is as God provides “sufficiency” for us. And this He does!
Application: Our churchly tasks won’t necessarily be pleasant. Jeremiah didn’t enjoy delivering the message of God’s wrath and judgment upon Judah and Jerusalem. Jesus didn’t enjoy the tension and arguments that His enemies flung at Him. Nor do we enjoy the opposition of those who don’t want us to fulfill our calling. Nonetheless, “OUR CALLING HAS NECESSITY.”
Conclusion: Thankfully, God always enables and empowers His dear people in our calling, so that we are able to do far more than we would ever have thought possible.
And it is always a privilege to be serving God, and fulfilling those good works He has foreordained for us. So remember – you are important, and what you do for God is important. Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.