Division - Look to the Star

How can division be a good thing? Why would our Lord say that he can’t wait for the division to start? This division is caused by the gospel. Families will be split over the good news of forgiveness. That sounds crazy – why would anyone be against Jesus and the forgiveness he brings? Forgiveness would mean there was something to forgive. God’s immutable will for the world is offensive to many. Just the thought that there could be an absolute truth is offensive. People don’t like to hear about their sin. This Sunday we started a new sermon series – Weeks of Warning. Our first week’s focus is division.

In our message we looked back at the ministry of the prophet Jeremiah. His ministry wasn’t a positive one. He called God’s people to repentance and they rejected his warning. God would not see his people lost forever so he sent the Babylonians to carry God’s people into exile. The vast majority died in exile.

One of the common beliefs in the ancient world was that God was only powerful in high places. That simply isn’t true. Our God is omnipresent. He is everywhere at once. There is no where you can go to escape from God. There is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. That might sound like a terrifying thought if you were trying to hide something, but what if you were alone? Is there anywhere you could go where your loving Father wouldn’t be? God’s abiding presence – his protection – are something that you CAN take for granted because he’s always with you.

As we look at what happened we can’t help but wonder what should be our reaction when there is division in 2019? God’s word is the absolute truth. Any faith that goes against something in Scripture should be rejected. That doesn’t mean we can’t witness our faith. We can always speak the truth in love. That doesn’t mean compromising our faith. By listening we gain the right to be heard. Want to hear more? Watch this Sunday’s message taken from Jeremiah 23.