The Peacemakers Part 2: The Lamp in the Dark

Preached on April 7, 2024

As a born again believer, you have a high calling to fulfill in the world. Do you know what your high calling is? Jesus makes it plain and clear to us what our calling is in the world while we wait for His return. We are called to be peacemakers in the world! What does it mean to be a peacemaker? Join Pastor McCrary for this week’s sermon as he continues in “The Peacemakers” series.

Introduction

After last week’s message, I hope that you continued to give thought to what it means to be a born again believer.  In my sermon for today, I will continue to focus on what it means for us to be a child of God.  What is that you live for?  What is that you do as a child of God?  Something all of us should know is that we have a high calling.

We are going to pour over scripture from Luke 12:35-51 in my message this week.  In this passage of scripture, Jesus said that one’s waist should be girded and their lamps burning (Luke 12:35).  Jesus said this should be done in anticipation for when the master returns and knocks on the door (Luke 12:36).  I am going to touch more on these verses in a few moments.

Now, in my key verses for today, Jesus speaks about a faithful servant.  Jesus said that those who the master finds “doing” – their waist girded and lamps burning – are blessed.  Are you a faithful servant that is doing?  Is your waist girded and your lamp burning?  

Parable of the Faithful and Evil Servant

Luke 12:35-48 covers a very significant parable of Jesus.  This parable teaches us what the believer should be doing as we wait for His return – the rapture of the church.  To teach us this lesson, Jesus speaks of two types of servants.

The faithful servant

In this parable, the servant represents the believer and the master represents Christ, the Lord.  Now, the first thing Jesus teaches us is that a faithful servant should always be ready for the master’s return (Luke 12:35-36).  This is made very clear by Jesus when He said, “Be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect (Luke 12:40).”  

Is your waist girded?  Are you dressed and ready for the return of Christ?  Is your lamp burning for His arrival?  The faithful servant is one that has their lamp lit and is watching for Christ’s return.  No matter what time the master arrives, the faithful servant is watching and waiting for his return (Luke 12:37-39).

The lazy servant

Jesus speaks of the second servant in Luke 12:45-46.  Rather than watching and waiting, this servant says, “My master is delaying.”  This servant, believing his master is delaying, began to mistreat others, eat, drink, and be drunk.  Jesus said that on a day while he is unaware, his master would return and catch him not watching and waiting.

Jesus is speaking of skepticism and how it can turn into laziness.  How often have you heard someone say, “Jesus hasn’t come back yet!”  That thought then turns into, “if He didn’t come today, nor yesterday, nor the day before, He isn’t coming soon.”  Some will go so far to say that Christ isn’t coming back at all.  

Skepticism turns into laziness, and laziness turns into one falling asleep in their faith.  There are many believers who have fallen asleep in their faith and discipline.  Being asleep in their discipline has led to much sin to which some servants actually think they’re getting by God because He hasn’t come.  Are you one to think that you can get by God in your wrongdoing?  

Ask the children of Israel what happened to them when they worshiped the calf of gold at Mount Sinai.  Many today, because they are asleep, have turned and started worshiping a calf of gold today.  If you think you can slip your wrongdoing by God, let me tell you something – there is no fooling God!  God is not a man to be fooled!  Even more important is that God is near and as Jesus said, He is coming.

When He comes, the servant that knew His master’s and did not do accordingly will be judged (Luke 12:47).  When He comes, those that did not know His will, shall also be judged (Luke 12:48).  You should know very well that every knee will bow before the Lord!  To believers, Paul wrote, “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad (2 Cor. 5:10).”

By the conclusion of this parable, we should have a sense for our calling— we should be living every second like Jesus will come the next second.  We certainly don’t want to be caught acting up if Jesus came the next second.  Many people cry about people being “woke” today, but I tell you, it’s definitely time to wake up!

The World We Live In

After teaching the parable, Jesus had a very pointed question to ask believers as shown in Luke 12:54-56.  Jesus began by saying, “Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming.'”  He then said, “when you see the south wind blow, you say, ‘There will be hot weather.'”

Why was Jesus speaking about our ability to recognize the change in weather?  While it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what the weather will be for a day, there are obvious changes  that we can recognize and not be a meteorologist.  For example, if a sunny day begins to fill with clouds and we hear thunder, then we know a storm is most likely coming, right?  

So, with that in mind, Jesus pointedly said, “You can discern the face of the sky, but how is it you do not discern this time?”  Jesus is saying, how can you not recognize what’s going on in the world?  Maybe, sometimes we are just blind by ignorance to the world we live in.  Though, I feel many are unable to see what the world is today because they have made a choice.  

It is urgent that believers recognize the world we are in.   If we can recognize the world we’re in, then it’s easier for us not to get caught up in the snares of sin.  If we can recognize the world we’re in, then we can quickly find and fill in the role we are to serve.  

Do you recognize the day and hour— the time we are in?  If you can’t, just be observant.  To be clear, we must be observant with more than our eyes and ears because they can and do deceive.  John wrote that we must be observant and discern the truth with our soul— spiritual discernment.  

Darkness and unrest

I see great unrest in the world we live in.  I have to be honest, I cannot remember a time where there wasn’t some kind of fighting going on somewhere.  As Paul said to Timothy about the times of peril, there is much hysteria, lies, conspiracies, and deceptions that’s created much confusion (2 Tim. 3:1-5).  The world is a dark and terrible place is what we say.  

Because of unrest, there have always been cries for peace in the world.  Yet, the question has to be asked:  what is peace to mankind?  I suppose when man thinks of peace he thinks of “quiet” – no unrest.  Can man bring such quiet and rest from the unrest?  

There are certainly some that think they can bring peace to the world.  However, in a cruel bit of irony, much of the unrest comes from man trying to bring peace.  The unrest comes because one man’s idea of peace is not the same as another.   

We live in a world where man tries to bring peace through war and violence.  We live in a world where man tries to bring peace through oppression and authoritarian rule.  We live in a world where man tries to bring peace through prejudice and laws that are unjust and not equal.  We live in a world where “peace” is a contest that man simply can’t win.  

Man cannot bring peace because he doesn’t know what peace is because our nature isn’t peaceful!  Man is a warmonger in his nature as nature puts us against God.  In other words, our nature is that of sin.  Can a sinner bring about peace?  The sinner can’t do such because the sinner doesn’t know peace.

A Lamp in the Dark

What is peace?  Peace is harmony and unity between all things.  The only one that’s reconciled all things to himself is Christ.  The only way one can know peace in their nature is to be in harmony with Christ.  So, while the sinner does not know what peace is, the believer should know what peace is.  There is a role for you to play in the world today.  What is that role?  A peacemaker.

Again, Jesus said, “Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.”  “So doing” what?  Well, the believer is supposed to have his lamp lit as he waits for God, right?  Do you have your lamp lit in this dark world as you wait on God?  

Waiting on God

Waiting on God is a subject that I want to bring clarity to.  You see, some think that while they wait for Christ’s return, they should wait by doing nothing.  Are we supposed to be doing nothing while we wait for His return?

Let’s consider what the word “wait” means according to the word of God.  Throughout scripture, waiting on God speaks about hoping and having faith in Him.  If we take a look at Hebrews 11, we can see what waiting with hope and faith looks like.

Hebrews 11:7 tells us, “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear…”  Hebrews 11:8 tells us, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would inherit…”  Hebrews 11:17 tells us, “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac…”  By faith, Moses chose to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin (Heb. 11:24-25).”

Do you really think the Lord wants you to sit by the side in this world of unrest and do nothing?   In Hebrews 11, we see that those who waited on the Lord moved by faith, they didn’t sit still!  You should understand that the word of God is a call to action for those who choose to believe in Christ!

The way of a peacemaker

In Luke 12:51, Jesus asked, “Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth?  I tell you not at all, but rather division.”  You see, we have this misconception of Jesus being this peaceful individual that was soft, quiet, and did nothing.  As we saw last week, Jesus is the only one that can and will bring peace to the world.  Yet, in His first coming, Jesus was the cause of much division not because He intended to cause division.

In this dark world, the Jesus I know, stood up for what was holy and righteous.  The Jesus I know rebuked the sinner and called sinners to repentance (Luke 5:32).  The Jesus I know turned over the seller’s tables in the temple, and rebuked them with great authority (Matt. 21:12-13).  The Jesus I know held the arrogant religious leaders accountable for their hypocrisy (Matt. 23:3).

In Matthew 10:34, Jesus made a very similar statement to Luke 12:51.  Jesus said, “Do not think I came to bring peace on earth.  I did not come to bring peace but a sword.”  The idea of what Christians are supposed to be as peacemakers is all wrong.  There is this thought that we should be pacifists— accommodate and appease others to “keep the peace”.   

In other words, there is this thought that Christ should keep silent in the sight of wrongdoing.  Leviticus 5:1 tells us that it is a sin to be quiet in the sight of sin.  Nowhere in scripture are we told to run from conflict and be blind to sin!  Nowhere in scripture are we told to keep silent in order to be loved by the sinner!   

In fact, Jesus said, “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets (Luke 6:26).”  Jesus warned, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you (John 15:18).”  Nowhere in scripture are we told that we are going to be loved by all people when we stand in the name of peace!

Jesus, the Lord, does not tolerate sin— He stands against it!  Jesus, Christ is a warrior of the light!  Because Jesus stood for what is righteous and just in this world of darkness, He was despised by lovers of the darkness and caused divisions (Matt. 10:35-37; Luke 12:52).  

It’s time to shine

If Jesus stood against what was unfair, unjust, and wicked, why do His “children” stand for it today?  We must recognize that this hour calls on us to stand and light the way for what is just.  We have a calling to make the good news of Christ known to the world.  

However, how can we make His good news known by standing with liars, frauds, scammers, and hypocrites?  How can we make His good news known by standing with those that love to divide and cause confusion?  How can we make His good news known when our actions betray the actions of Christ?

Are you a lamp in this dark world?  In Luke 8:16, Jesus said that no one lights a lamp just to cover it up or put it under a bed.  A lamp is lit in the dark to reveal what cannot be seen— stand up for what is good!  One walking without a lamp in the dark may come to you if you’re holding a lamp, right?  With that lamp you can help lead others without one out of the dark— stand up for what is good!

I want you to understand that there is a reason why the believer is supposed to be waiting on Christ with that lamp.  Just like Jesus, we cannot be afraid of the dark because we have the light.  So, like Him, we must not be afraid to rebuke sinners and call on repentance.  We must not be afraid to turn over the tables of those that take the name of Christ in vain.  You and I must not be afraid to hold hypocrisy accountable!

Let us remember that with the whole armor of God, we also have the sword of the Spirit, the word of God.  We have been given authority to use our sword.  Therefore, we must not be afraid to stand for what is just in the name of God!  Don’t you be afraid to be a peacemaker of the Lord!  The hour is now for you to fight for peace in this world.