Who is Listening to the Word?

Welcome to the teaching ministry of Kungsvinger Lutheran Church.

Kungsvinger is a beacon for the gospel of Jesus Christ and is located on the plains of northwestern Minnesota.

We proclaim Christ and Him crucified for our sins and salvation by grace through faith alone.

And now here's a message.

From Pastor Chris Rosebrook.

The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew the 10th chapter.

Jesus said, do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth.

I have not come to bring peace but a sword.

I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter -in -law against her mother -in -law.

And a person's enemies will be those of his own household.

Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.

Whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

Whoever finds his life will lose it.

Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Whoever receives you receives me.

Whoever receives me receives him who sent me.

And the one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward.

And the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward.

Whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple truly I say to you he will by no

means lose his reward.

This is the gospel of the Lord in the name of Jesus.

Alright another tough gospel text.

We have to consider what Christ is saying here.

Christ says he has not come to bring peace to the earth.

I have not come to bring peace but a sword.

And we're going to talk about the conflict that Jesus is referring to here.

And then he says I have come to set a man against his father and a daughter against her mother and a daughter -in -law against her

mother -in -law.

That doesn't seem too uncommon though.

Daughter -in -law against her mother -in -law.

That might be normal.

Sorry I had to say that.

And a person's enemies will be those of his own household.

Why?

Is it because we're just so cantankerous we can't get along with each other?

Is that the issue?

No the issue has to come comes down to this.

Whose words are you listening to?

Are you listening to the words of God?

Or are you listening to the words of the culture?

Have you noticed that you know most families nowadays they have to have standing rules during holidays.

Standing rules go something like this.

There will be no discussion of what?

Religion and politics, right?

Because religion and politics they seem to go together.

And when things get rolling at a family event or holiday get together

oftentimes there's conflict.

So the conflict Christ is talking about is the conflict that comes from those who believe and hear

the words of God and family members who do not hear the words of

God will not listen to them and instead have exalted their own opinions

above the Word of God.

So last week we noted that this was the thing that we have to deal with because when we speak the

truth we should expect persecution.

Christ has made it very clear that because he was persecuted, crucified, and died that we

shouldn't expect any better treatment than he got.

After all Christ did nothing wrong yet they killed him.

And so you'll note this is really at the heart of a couple of our texts today.

Our Gospel text and our Old Testament text.

And the question comes down to again who are you listening to?

Or maybe a better question is whose do you belong to?

You'll note when I was growing up when my parents told me that I needed to do certain things

you know what I listened to them.

Now if I didn't listen to them because I was being lazy or just an obstinate there was always consequences.

But if somebody else's parents came up to me and told me that they wanted me to do this that or the other

thing my response would have been I don't have to listen to you you're not my dad you're not my mom right

when did you start giving it having authority to give me orders right?

And so what we can kind of talk about this whose do you belong to?

Who do you belong to?

Either God is your father or Satan's your daddy.

And that's really where the dividing line is.

Those who will not hear the Word of God who do not believe and trust God's words who despise preaching

and his word this is the fruit of those who are the children of the devil

not the children of God.

So we're going to take a look now in our text in Jeremiah and we're going to add a little bit of context to it

because it needs some context added.

I have no idea what the people who put the three -year lectionary together we're thinking and by the way did a little research on this.

Roman Catholics and Episcopalians slash Anglicans had a big say in the creation of the

three -year lectionary and I just have to wonder did they leave the context out because they

have issue with the Word of God?

I just have to wonder.

I'm speculating out loud I shouldn't do that but consider the context let me back up a little bit

in the book of Jeremiah.

In the book of Jeremiah chapter 6, God says these

words of Judah, to whom shall I speak and give warning so that they may hear?

Behold their ears are uncircumcised.

They cannot listen.

Behold the word of Yahweh is to them an object of

scorn.

They take no pleasure in it.

Doesn't that sound like today?

I mean I'm not talking about the world out there I'm talking about like within the visible church.

How many churches today have no pleasure in hearing the Word of God?

You know you attend a big box megachurch and over the course of a really long

service a 45 minute sermon how much of God's Word do you hear?

A couple of verses maybe out of context and then you'll note here that

many of the pastors today they're all about well preaching soft things

to you and so God continues in Jeremiah chapter 6, for from the least to the greatest of

them everyone is greedy for unjust gain and from prophet to priest everyone deals

falsely.

They have healed the wounds of my people lightly saying peace

peace when there is no peace.

Hmm were they ashamed when they committed abomination?

No they were not ashamed at all.

They did not know how to blush therefore they shall fall among those who fall at the time I punish them.

They shall be overthrown says the Lord.

So you'll note listening to God's Word is a vital thing and so in chapter 28 in the

fuller context backing up to verse 1 here we have a collision.

A collision between a true prophet of God Jeremiah and you'll note that Jeremiah

hasn't been sent with soft words in a silk pillow to lay people's heads on.

He has not been given by God the messages of platitudes of joy and

peace and prosperity and health and God's provision and all this kind of stuff.

Instead he's been given the task of preaching God's wrath against a stiff -necked and obstinate

people who are engaging in rank idolatry and where this takes place then is

in the temple itself in the temple courtyards and so this is where the children of Israel the high

holy place the temple and God has sent Jeremiah to prophesy

that if they will not turn from their sin and their idolatry

and all of their right that they are going to be put under the yoke

bars of Nebuchadnezzar and so God has given Jeremiah a prop.

He wants him to prophesy with a big old wooden yoke around his neck to make the point

and by the way Nebuchadnezzar has already come in his first wave and carried off the king and the rightful

king and replaced him with Zedekiah set up a puppet king and made off with a whole bunch of the implements of the

temple and the first round of exiles.

And how long has God said they're going to stay in Babylon.

70 years.

Okay I'm 55 years old.

Okay if I had been born in Babylon year one I'd still have 15 years before I can go home.

You get the idea that's a long time.

And of course everything that Jeremiah has said would come to pass has begun

to come to pass.

Why.

Because he's a true prophet of God and true prophets always have a 100 batting record

when it comes to prophecy they never get it wrong.

So we hear then what's going to what's taking place.

And listen carefully to who's paying attention to the Word of God here.

So in that same year at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah the king of Judah in the fifth month of the fourth year

Hananiah the son of Azor the prophet from Gibeon spoke to me in the house of Yahweh in the

presence of the priests and all the people.

Now this is important in the presence of the priests and all the people in the temple.

Now if they had been paying attention to God's Word what does God's Word say

to do to false prophets.

Kill them.

Right.

If someone is preaching false prophets they're gonna dare a false prophet.

The punishment is death.

Which then requires the people of God to know God's Word well enough to be able to

distinguish between the voice of God and the voice of a lunatic.

I think Hananiah kind of falls into the lunatic category.

I'm 100 convinced that if Hananiah were living today he would be making regular appearances on

prophecy.

Bingo.

He would have a YouTube channel dedicated to releasing words of the Lord with much

frequency and telling everybody about how there is going to be a suddenly and the change of the

atmosphere and all this other nonsensical stuff that these so -called prophets are prophesying today.

He's that same kind of prophet.

So he arose and he spoke to Jeremiah in the house of Yahweh in the presence of the priests and the people who

should know better because they should know their word.

Thus says Yahweh of hosts the God of Israel.

Hananiah now prophesying prophesying I have broken the yoke of the

king of Babylon.

Within two years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of Yahweh's house which

Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon.

I will also bring back to this.

Place.

Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim the king of Judah and all the exiles from Judah who went to Babylon

declares Yahweh for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.

And Bill Johnson of Bethel Church in Reading said I approve.

I agree.

I got a check in my spirit saying that this is correct.

And Cindy Jacobs and Chuck Pierce all said amen.

Amen.

Right.

You kind of get the point.

But here's the thing this not only contradicts what Jeremiah is

prophesying but this also contradicts what Isaiah prophesied.

And Isaiah is safely in his grave at this point and everybody recognizes that he was a true prophet of

God and his words.

God requires the children of Israel to know the words of the prophet Isaiah

and requires them to speak them to their children and to their children's children because they are the very words of

God.

So if they had been paying attention to their Bibles these priests and those

people listening to Hananiah they would have recognized Hananiah.

You're out of your mind your brain has been baked in the Sun.

You should have wore a hat when you were out farming and look what happened.

Right.

And so they should have taken him off and stoned him or at least locked him up and punished him.

But the prophet Jeremiah then spoke to Hananiah the prophet in the presence of the priests and all the people who are

standing in the house of Yahweh.

And the prophet Jeremiah said.

And I always like to picture him clapping.

Amen.

Amen.

May it may Yahweh do so may Yahweh make the words that you have prophesied come true.

And may he bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of Yahweh and all the

exiles.

Yet here now this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people

the prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied

war famine pestilence against many countries and great kingdoms.

So you'll know Jeremiah referencing his Bible here again whose words are you listening to.

And you know there's conflict here between people of the same tribe of the

tribe of Judah and what's happening here.

You have enemies within their own households all because some are listening to the words of God and

believing and others are not.

But then Jeremiah says this as for the prophet who prophesies peace.

When the word of that prophet comes to pass then it will be known Yahweh has truly

sent the prophet peace peace when there is no peace.

That's what the false prophets prophesying.

And Hananiah is no different.

So then Hananiah had a prophetic temper tantrum.

He did not like it being rebuked even in the slightest by Prophet

Jeremiah.

And he was sick and tired of his message of God's judgment and God's wrath.

And just had it to here.

And he was sick and tired of looking at that stupid yoke around Jeremiah's neck.

And so what did Hananiah do.

He went and he grabbed the yoke bars off of Jeremiah and kind of did like you know like

one of those rock and roll moves you know where they take their guitars and smash it on stage.

He took the yoke bars and went broke it all apart.

Right.

And then to add insult to injury he then prophesies again.

Wait a second I'm getting a download.

Hananiah says I feel a suddenly coming on.

And he says even so I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon from the neck of

all the nations within two years.

Right.

Right.

How'd that work out for him.

By the way.

So Jeremiah went his way but God wasn't done with

Hananiah.

Now remember he said these things in the presence of the priests and of the people.

You'll note that if you know your Mosaic Covenant it's the Levites who were tasked with the job of teaching and

instructing the children of Israel in the synagogues teaching and instructing them every

Sabbath the Word of God.

You would think that these priests would have had enough biblical sense to recognize a wingnut wackerdoodle when he was in their

presence.

But what did they do to Hananiah when he falsely prophesied peace.

When there was no peace.

Well we better wait and see what happens.

I mean how are we supposed to know.

They did nothing.

And so God decided that he was going to act on his own accord.

So sometime after the prophet Hananiah had broken the oak bars off the neck of

Jeremiah.

The prophet the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah.

You go tell Hananiah.

Thus says Yahweh you have broken wooden bars but you have made in their place bars

of iron.

You know I think back you remember the whole kovat 19 thing.

I'd like to think it's ancient history now.

But there was Ken Copeland in the opening days of kovat 19 decreeing and

declaring as the prophet of God the end of kovat in March of

2020.

How did that work out by the way.

And and then there was a whole bunch of prophets prophesying that it was gonna end in Passover of that year.

And you know what.

This thing just stretched out and stretched out and I got to the point where as I was saying would you guys

just put a cork in it please.

Because I feel like this thing's gonna stretch out as many days as possible until you guys be

quiet so that nobody would ever think that you got it right.

Same thing regarding Hananiah here.

So you they you know he broke the bars that God told the the yoke that God told Jeremiah

to wear and that was made of wood.

So now God's replacing his wooden yoke bars with with bars yoke bars of

steel of iron.

So thus says Yahweh of hosts the God of Israel I've put upon the neck of all these nations an

iron yoke to serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and they

shall serve him.

For I have given him even the beasts of the field.

And then Jeremiah the Prophet said to the prophet Hananiah listen Hananiah Yahweh

hasn't sent you.

I know you got a prophetic activation.

You paid 500 bucks to Jennifer Leclerc and she gave you a prophetic activation.

But you're not a prophet.

All right.

Absolutely false.

God didn't send you.

And you have made these people trust in a lie.

And isn't that exactly what is happening today.

I know we make sport of it you know on a prophecy bingo at Pirate Christian.

But at the end of the day there's a whole bunch of people believing these people these false prophets and by

spewing these words that God hasn't given them to speak they are causing people to

trust in flat -out lies.

And God doesn't take that lightly.

Remember that it says you shall not blaspheme.

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain because God will not hold him guiltless.

The one who takes his name in vain and drags it to emptiness.

Therefore thus says Yahweh to Hananiah behold I will remove you from the face

of the earth.

Although the priests should have done that earlier if they had known their word if they had been

listening to the voice of God they would have known to get rid of Hananiah immediately.

But they didn't.

So God's going to do it himself.

I'm gonna remove you from the face of the earth.

This year you shall die because you have uttered rebellion against Yahweh.

And in that same year in the seventh month the prophet Hananiah

died.

Who turned out to be the true prophet here Jeremiah how do we know.

His words came to pass.

And if had they been paying attention to the word they would have known better.

But Jesus here in our New Testament in our gospel text promises us this same

kind of conflict this conflict between those who will hear the words of God those who

belong to God and those who belong to the devil.

Those who belong to God hear the voice of God abide in the words of Christ.

If you love me Jesus said you will abide in my word.

That means hearing it marking it studying it meditating on it

doing it.

Those who do not belong to Christ they take no pleasure in God's Word.

So consider a New Testament example of this same kind of conflict.

People of the children of Israel these are all Jews in Judea.

And it's after the death burial resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ.

And after the day of Pentecost.

And what has happened is that Peter and John have gone into the temple to preach Christ and him crucified

for our sins to call people to repentance and faith in the one who loved them so much that he

laid down his life so that they might live.

And when they got into the temple they found a fellow who was crippled and he was expecting

alms some some kind of money to help him pay his bills.

And Peter looks at him and says silver and gold.

I do not have any but what I do have I give you in the name of Jesus Christ.

I command you to walk.

The guy did.

God healed him.

And it led to a commotion.

And of course the commotion Peter took advantage of that commotion to preach Christ and him crucified for our

sins.

And then in chapter 4 it says as they were speaking to the people the priests

and the captain of the temple this all takes place in the same place that our Old Testament that we

just read Jeremiah 28 takes place in the same place.

And there's priests and there's the people and you got the Sadducees and you got the high priest.

They're all they're all right there on the scene.

And so they came upon them and they were greatly annoyed because the Apostles were

teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

And so they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day for it was already evening

but many of those who had heard the word they believed.

And the number of the men came to about 5 ,000.

I want you to think about this.

These are fellow Jews.

These are all people of the same family.

These are not only descendants of Abraham these are descendants of Judah.

They are brothers and sisters and cousins.

They are of the same nation the same religion supposedly.

And you'll note that there's conflict here.

The Apostles are in deep kimchi as like one of my old Korean war veteran

guys used to say deep kimchi for doing what preaching Christ.

But you'll note that the priests they should have known the Word of God.

They should have known that Jesus Christ was the one prophesied by Moses and the

prophets they should have known the scriptures well enough that Jesus to them would have they would have

seen him as he truly is God of God light of light very God of very God as the scriptures

proclaim about him.

But they're not paying attention to the scriptures properly.

In fact Judaism in Jesus's day in the days of the Apostles was overrun by the religion of the

Pharisees and their false revelations in their so -called oral Torah.

So there's Peter and John and they got arrested and

had to spend the night in prison.

And I know for a fact from the archaeological evidence that first century prisons were not a

place you wanted to be.

The smells the yeah it's just not a good place.

And why were they arrested for preaching Jesus and healing a fellow.

So on the next day their rulers elders and scribes gathered together

in Jerusalem.

It's time for a leadership meeting time for management to come and take a look at what's going

on along with Anna's the high priest in Caiaphas.

So the high priest are there.

These are men who should know the Bible.

Right.

And there was Alexander and all who were of the high priestly family people who should have known the

scripture.

And when they had set them in their midst they inquired and listen to this question.

Tell me if this sounds like an odd question to you by what power or by what

name did you do this.

Wait what are we really on trial here for doing a

good thing.

Right.

So then Peter filled with the Holy Spirit said to them not rulers of the people and elders if we're being examined

today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man by what means this man

has been healed.

It's a good thing he was.

Right.

You're not gonna say that's evil.

Are you.

Right.

So let it be known to all of you into all the people of Israel by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth

whom you crucified whom God raised from the dead by him.

This man is standing before you.

Well this Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you the builders which has

become the cornerstone.

And there is salvation in no one else.

For there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be

saved.

And these are the words of Scripture.

These are the words of the Apostles.

This is the truth.

There is salvation only in Christ.

And indeed this is a this is a beyond true statement.

It is truth itself.

But you'll note we live in the day where our family members put coexist bumper stickers on their the back of their

Subarus.

Right.

And we are told by people like this who are parts of our own families that we are

haters that we are phobic that we are

reprehensible that we are just terrible manipulative mean

-spirited people for saying that there's salvation only in Jesus Christ

and so they bring the conflict to us.

But who's listening to the words God.

Is it you.

Or is it them.

Because it's true Jesus Christ as we confessed in the Nicene Creed was born of the Virgin

Mary and it this was all for our salvation.

And he suffered under Pontius Pilate.

God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not

perish but have eternal life.

And God has made you his own in the waters of baptism.

He's washed away your sins.

Christ who has bled and died for you takes his saving work on the cross and applied it to you individually

when you were baptized in the name of the Father Son and the Holy Spirit.

He has opened your ears and he has circumcised your heart.

He has washed away your sins all because of his great love.

There is no other deity that exists.

There is no other Savior.

There is only him.

And so the Apostles are preaching the truth.

But who's listening to the Word of God here.

Now when all the leaders saw the boldness of Peter and John they

perceived that they were uneducated men.

Apparently they spoke with some kind of like hick accent.

Right.

Maybe they spoke thick redneck or something.

I don't know.

But they recognized.

These were not men of letters.

They were common men.

So they were astonished.

And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them.

Well there's this guy here.

Okay.

And he was completely healed.

They had nothing to say in opposition.

But when they had commanded them to leave the council they conferred with one another and they were saying

what shall we do with these men.

For that is a notable sign that has been performed through them.

It's evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

We cannot deny it.

Hello.

You can't deny that.

This was a great sign.

Who did the sign.

God did.

Right.

The people are praising God because of the sign.

Why are you.

Because they don't belong to God.

They do not like his words.

They refuse to hear them.

They prefer to hear other words.

They have a different agenda than bending the knee to God and trusting

in him.

Hearing what he has to say.

So they stupidly.

And that's what this is.

Stupid.

We can't deny that this is a miracle that took place.

But watch what their solution is to this then.

Okay we cannot deny that this sign has been performed.

But in order that it may not spread any further among the people let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this

name.

We gotta put an end to this.

Put this under wraps.

Sounds like a conspiracy theory.

Right.

So they called them and they charged them not to speak or to teach in the name of Jesus.

Peter and John answered them.

Well whether it's right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God you must judge.

For we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.

And when they had further threatened them you see how this went.

The disciples were pretty much nonplussed.

Yeah we're just gonna obey God rather than you.

And then you can just see them.

If you come back in here again we see you preaching Jesus again in the temple.

We're going to arrest you.

We're gonna crucify you just like we crucified Jesus.

And their basic answer was whatever.

Right.

We're gonna obey God.

So when they had further threatened them they let them go finding no way to punish them.

Because of the people for all were praising God for what had happened.

For the man on whom the sign of healing was performed was more than 40 years old.

I hate that verse.

By the way they just sound like anyone over 40 years old is really old.

Hey what.

No no don't do that.

Actually she's all.

Yeah you are right.

But watch what happens next.

You'll note again this is the conflict the crisis talked about.

So when they were released they went to their friends and they reported with the chief priests and the elders had

said to them the irony here is thick.

And so when they heard it they lifted their voices together to God and they said sovereign Lord who made the heavens and the

earth and the sea and everything that is in them.

Who through the mouth of our father David your servant said by the Holy Spirit.

Why.

Why do the Gentiles rage.

And why did the people's plot in vain.

The kings of the earth they set themselves and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against

his anointed one his Messiah.

Why do the Gentiles rage.

Why do our family members who do not believe.

Why do they rage and plot in vain and get angry and shake their fists and

clench their teeth and threaten you.

And do all kinds of stuff.

When you preach the truth and tell them the truth of God it's because

they do not belong to Christ.

That's the reason it's.

They're dead in trespasses and sins.

Heathens are gonna heath.

That's what they do.

Right.

And so what are we to do in the midst of that.

Are we just to just say well that's what the heathens do.

No we have to pray.

Because you'll note that their threats are legit.

These are not empty words that they were threatening the Apostles in these Christians with.

And so they are praying back to God noticing that in the Psalms that the nation's

rage and the people plot in vain against the anointed Messiah of God.

For truly in the city there were gathered against your holy servant Jesus whom you anointed both Herod and

Pontius Pilate along with the Gentiles and the people of Israel to do whatever your hand in your plan had

predestined to take place.

But now Lord look upon their threats and grant your servants to continue to speak your word

with all boldness while you stretch out your hand to heal and signs and wonders are

performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.

And so they prayed to God please in the midst of these threats these here that these these ravings

from these men please grant us boldness.

Help us to not fold.

Help us to not be cowards.

Help us to speak the truth even in the face of their threats and if necessary to

suffer the consequences accordingly while you in the midst of all of this

save people.

And so when they had prayed the place in which they were gathered together was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.

And they continue to speak the Word of God with boldness.

And so brothers and sisters that's exactly what we are called to do to speak the Word of God

with all boldness.

Remember last week Jeremiah at his commissioning.

We read the opening portion of Jeremiah chapter 1.

God told him that he was going to be in conflict that people would oppose him and God told him do not be dismayed by these people.

And then he comforted them and said I will be with you.

Consider the words of Christ in the words of the Great Commission.

In Matthew chapter 28 Jesus says.

All authority in heaven on earth has been given to me.

Go there for make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

teaching them to observe all that I have commanded which requires you to read your Bibles by the way and behold

I am with you always to the end of the age.

You'll note that in the midst of the growing hostility on this planet as it continues to

spiral into insanity and the suicidal tendencies of sin and the

ragings against the truth and against the very God who loved them too and so much that he sent

Christ to bleed and die for them that we must remember that Christ is always with us and

that the Holy Spirit when we ask will give us the boldness to speak the truth in love.

But let me remind you that because of what Jesus did on the cross you belong to him.

In fact Paul in Ephesians 1 says in him we have redemption

through his blood and through him we have the forgiveness of all of our

trespasses according to the riches of God's grace which he has lavished on us in all

wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will according to his purpose

which is set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time to unite all things in

him things in heaven and things on earth.

And then you'll note that he goes on to say that we've been in Christ obtained an inheritance a promise of the new

earth a world without sin in a world without end when God re -genesis

is that a word.

Can you do that when he re -genesis is the world and brings us back to Eden having

been predestined then according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will so that

we who are the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory in him.

You also when you heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation

you believed in him.

And because of this you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we

acquire possession of it to the praise of his glory.

So brothers and sisters Christ has spoken the truth.

He's absolutely correct.

But you might say and I have to kind of say this at them.

In the midst of all of this there's one thing that glaring thing that kind of stands out in this text

and that is during Christmas.

Isn't that when we sing about Jesus being the Prince of Peace.

Right.

And it'll be called wonderful counselor the mighty God.

Right the Prince of Peace.

But you'll note Christ here is saying that he didn't come to bring peace.

But that's noted he didn't come to bring peace to the earth.

What Jesus came to do was to bring peace between you and God by laying down

his life bleeding and suffering and dying in order to reconcile us to God

so that we can be adopted and be made God's children again.

And so brothers and sisters it is true Christ is the Prince of Peace but not

peace to the earth in this era but peace to the earth in the era to

come and in the meantime now peace with God.

So note then it is a harrowing difficult and

anxiety -causing problem to have members of your own household be your

enemies because of your confession of Christ but do not be dismayed by them.

Continue to preach the truth in love cry out to God the Holy Spirit to give you boldness to speak the truth so that you

would not cower in the face of persecution.

And note that when this does happen to you you can say this is exactly what Jesus said

would happen that makes him a true prophet just like Jeremiah and the others

think it through in the name of Jesus Amen

if you would.

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