On Fire for Christ Luke 12:49-53 Honesty: I want to be very honest with all of you tonight.

I want to be honest about what scripture says and about how that makes me feel and worry for you generation. Statistics: Sunday Mark brought up a couple statistics about dropout rates in high school. He said when he was in high school 50% of kids would drop and not finish. That was the statistic. For every two people, one would not graduate. However, the statistics about people just like you: Kids raised in a Christian family, who go to church every Sunday and Wednesday, who even to go churches that strongly focus on the Bible Are astounding. A study done by The Southern Baptist Convention reported that 88% of children raised in Christian families leave the church by the age of 18 and will NEVER return. [ 88% ] That means that out of 25 youth in this room, only 3 of you will continue to follow Christ or even attend church by the time theyre 18. 22 of you will walk away and never return. Another study just reported that by the first year of high school, 40% of kids have already walked away from Christ. Statistically speaking, this means that nearly half of you sitting in these seats tonight. While you may be here physically, because your parents bring you, you have already walked away spiritually and mentally. We as youth leaders talk about the world being tough out there. We talk about how there are professors in college who will try and rip you away from your faith. We talk about how you have to have strong roots now, so that you can withstand the influence of worldly ideas on your life out there in the real world.
1

But the reality is that the world is tough now. There is something out there that is so strong, so amazing at putting doubt in your minds, or causing you to feel discouraged, that almost half of the people in this room have already checked out. My heart for youth ministry started just a few years after I graduated high school. I can confirm that these statistics are pretty accurate. Out of all the kids that I attended youth group with, only a small handful are still even attending church. Even out of our core group, the kids that were there every Sunday and every Wednesday who were involved weekly in ministry and serving the church, many of them walked away. So my heart for youth ministry started because it breaks my heart to know, that while Juan, Leonard, Mark, Bryan, or even I stand up here and pour the Word and our hearts into you. That for a majority of you, it will not make a difference at all. And I think for the first time I am truly beginning to just see a glimpse, a glimmer, a small slice of what Jesus felt while he allowed his own creation to murder him. The Roman guards grabbed a cat of 9 tails, like Mark discussed on Sunday, it was a whip with glass, and metal shards tied to the ends of each of the nine strands of leather, pulled back, and slammed it into the back of Jesus Christ. This wasnt like a whip that we think of that cracks when its used and returns back to the holder like Indiana Jones. The glass and metal shards dug themselves into the back from the force of the hit and had to be yanked out of Jesus back. Then this was repeated 38 more times. The entire time this went on, Jesus was telling you through his actions, This is how much I love you. Knowing full well, that the vast majority of people would simply shrug off this gesture of love. Can you imagine Jesus looking out on the crowd and actually voicing, I love you this
2

much. As those shards dug themselves deeper into his back, only to have those he was speaking to turn their backs on him and walk away? But this is what many of us do with the love of Jesus. We listen to the gospel and all that he went through, but then we shrug it off, like its no big deal. And statistically by the end of your final year of high school, 22 out of 25 of you, will look at Jesus as shards of metal and glass tear his back apart, revealing muscle and bone, as Jesus Christ the Savior calls out to you, This is how much I love you. And youll simply shrug it off, turn around and walk away never to return. I stand here and I say to myself, Is this really true? Out of 25 of you, will only 3 be walking with Christ by the time your 18? And theres a part of me that wants to say, NO, this youth group is special. But I dont want to be nave, and I dont want you to be nave and think this isnt reality in churches all across the United States. And even in the youth group that I was a part of. But! And here comes the big, but! This is not how it has to be. Even though this is a problem in youth groups all across the United States. And Youth Pastors spend a ton of money in an attempt to get better videos, better games, better youth camps, better bands, better this and better that. Yet the problem doesnt always lie within the youth group. There is one thing that a Youth Pastor has absolutely no control over and yet it is the single biggest hindrance to every single one of you fully following Christ: You. The one thing none of us can control is you. We can attempt to appeal to your culture, to your music, to your interests, and still provide you with solid biblical teaching, but you are in control of whether or not you make the daily decision to follow Christ.

Ill be honest and say that I often get discouraged in youth ministry. Even before I looked up the statistics, I knew what they were just but looking around. We had Mark up here Sunday drenching this room with the gospel of love and what Jesus Christ did, and we had people goofing off and snickering the whole time. However, despite my discouragement at times, I still have hope. I have a lot of hope. I have hope in Jesus that these times spent up here are not spent in vain. That someone in this room will walk away with something glorious. That someone in this room walks away with a new found joy, hope, or instruction from God given through his Word. My ultimate hope, is that every single one of you becomes on-fire for Christ. THE KINDLING OF CHRIST Luke 12:49-53
49

I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished! 51 Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. 52 For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three. 53 Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-inlaw against her mother-in-law. Usually, when the Bible talks about fire, it is referring to Judgment, to a form of punishment reserved for those who deny Christ even until their own death. But Jesus is speaking here about something different. 49 I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! If you have a notepad, now is the time to start taking notes.
4

Here are 4 properties of fire: 1. Its Bright a. Fire illuminates, it glows, its visible from a far distance away, the smoke from it is visible from an even further distance 2. It is unquenchable a. As long as fire has kindling, it cannot be stopped without intervention. It will continue to grow and grow until it has consumed everything. It spreads quickly and at times uncontrollably. 3. It is Intriguing a. Fire is active, its almost living. It jumps and sways and moves. It can be beautiful. I dont know a single person that when something is on fire that shouldnt be doesnt want to take a second to watch it. 4. It Burns a. Fire consumes, but it also burns. Fire scorches the things around it and they are left charred and burned.
49

and how I wish it were already kindled!

What is Jesus talking about? What does he mean, how I wish it were already kindled! Kindled with what? Jesus said, I came to send fire on the earth, NOT I came to set fire to the earth. The ESV reads it this way, 49 I came to cast fire on the earth. If Jesus isnt saying that he wants to set the earth on fire, what does he want to set of fire? What kindling does he want to be ablaze? - He wants to set you on-fire. He doesnt want to set you on fire physically, but spiritually.
5

YOURE THE KINDLING OF CHRIST 1. Its Bright a. He wants you to burn bright for Him. He wants the world to visibly see Christ in you. Even from a distance, he wants people to know that you are His. 2. It is unquenchable a. He wants your passion for Him to be unquenchable. He wants your desire for Him to be uncontrollable. He wants your passion for Him to spread like a wild fire. 3. It is Intriguing a. He wants you to be active in your walk with him. Its not enough to just come here and listen to a teaching, He wants you to live His word. He wants the way you live to be beautiful, to represent His love His standards. He wants others to be intrigued by you and the way you live for Him. 4. It Burns a. Yet, living this way is going to leave some people feeling burned. Fire scorches, but it does not always consume. Not everyone will see your Christ centered lifestyle as wonderful. Not everyone will want to join in with the love of Christ.
51

Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. 52 For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three. 53 Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughterin-law against her mother-in-law.

DIVISION OF EVERYTHING These are the consequence of being on-fire for Christ. Being on-fire for Christ will not always bring peace in your life among those who are not also on-fire for Christ. In fact he says right here that it causes, division.
52

For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three. 53 Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. When you make a commitment to follow Christ, to allow him to work in your life, so much so that you share the properties of fire, division will come. In the context of when this was written, this was probably more severe that any of you would experience in our culture. You see in Jesus day, when a Jew made the commitment to follow Jesus, he would often become exiled from his family and sometimes from society. In some instances they would be kicked out of the home, lose their job, and lose their friends. In other cases, their family would hold a funeral for them. Indicating that they were dead to them. Could you imagine going back home tonight after experiencing the love of Christ and to tell your family about it; only to have them kick you out of the house and hold a funeral for you. To never be allowed to be with your family again. Now you may not get kicked out of your house for exhibiting the fire Jesus was talking about in your relationship with him, but being on-fire for Christ is not without consequences. If you follow Christ with everything you have, you WILL have friends that will not want to be around you ever again. They will look at you and call
7

you extreme or a fanatic. And they will look at you and the love you have for them, and just as they did Jesus, they will brush it off and walk away from you, never to return. You WILL have family that wants you to tone it down. They may even dissociate themselves from you. REACTIONS TO BEING ON FIRE There are only two reactions to something that is touched by fire. It is either consumed and set on fire also! Or it is scorched. Likewise, an individuals reaction to someone who has been set on fire for Christ is one of two: They will either come along side and you passionately follow Jesus Christ with their entire life, or they will feel scorched by you Irritated by you They will feel burned by the conviction Christ in your life is showing them And they will want nothing to do with you. You will get these reactions EVEN FROM OTHER CHRISTIANS. Those Christians who are ok with their little flame. With their little candle. Will not like the forest fire you have become. They dont want to be a raging fire like you. They dont want to be visible from afar. They would prefer to maintain their little candle. That way they can take it out when its convenient, but hide it from view when its not. Luke 11:33 No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. But the reality is, many Christians do exactly that. They want to have their lamp, their little bit of fire, because they want to feel that they are protected from Hell, but they also want to be able to hide it from view. And when you roll in with your raging wall of flames that is the full Glory of Jesus Christ, they are going to want nothing to do with you. Do you know how uncomfortable thats going to make them? Them with their little candle and you with your unquenchable passion for Christ? People
8

dont like being uncomfortable and they dont like feeling convicted. But if you follow Christ with every ounce of your heart, mind, and soul, you will be like a conviction machine. Everywhere you go people wont even see you. They will see Christ in you. They will see Jesus Christ in all of his glory and they will not like it. And they will fight it. But they wont be fighting you! They are fighting whats in you. Or rather, WHOs in you. Luke 10: 16 Jesus says, The one who hears you - hears me, and the one who rejects - you rejects me, and the one who rejects me - rejects him who sent me. So when you are on-fire for Christ and your friends, or your family, or classmates, or co-workers, even people you dont know. When they reject you for the lifestyle of following Christ with everything you have, DONT TAKE IT PERSONALLY. Because its not you they are rejecting, they are rejecting the Jesus himself and in turn God. IS IT WORTH IT? So now the question arises Is it worth it? Is it worth it to possibly lose friends that you are very close to? Is it worth it to risk division in your own family at home? It would most definitely seem easier just to hold your little candle. No one really notices a candle. Its just kind of there. Your family probably wont mind the little bit of Christ you bring home every once in a while. And your friends probably wont be offended knowing that you go to church as long as you dont bring up Jesus around them. Is it worth it to let Jesus Christ set you ablaze, to dedicate everything you have to Him, to find your identity in Christ alone? In short the answer is Yes.
9

Because while many will be unable to stand you, some will find new life through your example. There will be those who see Jesus Christ in your life, and they will be UNABLE to stop themselves from falling wildly in love with Him. And there is no greater joy found on this earth than being the vessel for which Jesus Christ uses to lead someone who is lost and in desperate need of a savior, to the one and only savior, Himself. If you want your life to have meaning and purpose in this world, lasting meaning, than being on-fire for Jesus is the only way to have lasting meaning and purpose that will go on for eternity, well after this world has decayed. It seems like everyone is out there trying to get their 15 minutes of fame. YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and the internet in general is all the proof we need of that. People want to be remembered, they want to be noticed, and they want people to like them. But lets be real: while a YouTube video of them jumping a motorcycle across the grand canyon or base jumping off of the Golden Gate Bridge might be fun to watch and entertaining. Its completely and utterly useless. And when their body is rotting in the grave and they find themselves standing before God to give an account of what they did with His son, Jesus Christ, while they were on earth. What good will that have done them? Im telling you now, make your life meaningful, but meaningful in the spectrum of eternity. Do not waste the only life youve been given. Christianity is NOT about saying a prayer that will prevent you from going to a very real place called Hell. It is not fire-insurance. And if you think it is, I sincerely question your salvation.

10

CHRIST CANNOT BE CRUCIFIED TWICE Hebrews 6:4-6 4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they fall away,[a] to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. Let me explain this verse to you this way. It is impossible for those who have been around, seen, and experienced all that God has to offer. To have seen the power and glory of God in all of its fullness. To then walk away and ever come back. If youve sat in this room and been touched to your very core from a message given from this pulpit. If youve experienced the moving of the Holy Spirit through this place, as I know we did during the lock in. If you have partaken in things like missions works or service projects and seen Gods power change lives. And yet you still decide that this isnt for you. Christ is cool, but Im not going to make any commitments to him. Then God really has nothing more to offer you. Nothing youd be interested in. Youve seen Gods fullest, youve seen his Son Jesus, as Roman guards ripped away chunks of his back and the entire time hes telling you, This is how much I love you. And you still shrug it off, brush the duster of the whips off your shoulders, and walk away. God has nothing more that youd be interested in.

11

CONCLUSION Maybe thats why so many youth walk away from the Church. Its not that they arent experiencing Gods glory and awesomeness in their youth group. Maybe its because they are, but because they fail to make the commitment, there is just nothing more Christ can offer them. There is nothing more Christ can show them that will peak their interest. Maybe thats why so many walk away and never come back. Could it just be a fulfillment of Hebrew 6:4? Knowledge of Jesus and of scriptures without a commitment is a dangerous place to be. Last week we talked about the punishment for those who knew what the right thing was, but still didnt do it being so much more severe than just being ignorant. Jesus uses the phrase, beaten severely and cuts them into pieces.

The opposite of being in this state, is to be on-fire for Christ. To allow him to set you ablaze. That from a distance, people would see Jesus in you. That those around you would see the glory of Christ and come alongside you with the same passion that you have. That the world would find you intriguing because of Christ in you. And that you would understand that when people reject you, and they will, they are really rejecting Christ. I actually googled: How to be on fire for Jesus. And amazingly didnt really find any good resources. So if your question right now is, How do I become this blazing fire for Christ that Jesus talked about? Here are some practical ways of following hard after Christ:

12

1. The first is fairly simple and straight forward: a. If you havent, you cannot do this without committing your life to him. Commitment, receiving salvation, being born again, getting saved. These are all different ways to talk about the same thing: The act of you graciously receiving the gift Jesus Christ is offering you, for the covering of your sins, through a commitment to him. b. Romans 10:10 says: For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 2. The second is Studying Gods word a. If you never study Gods word, if you never open your Bibles. You will never hear from Him. But if you dig deep into Gods word. If you read expecting to hear from him, you will learn to hear Gods voice. 3. The third is Prayer a. You probably dont like one way conversations and neither does God. Ever since the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden, there has been a disconnect between man and God. God longs for a relationship with us. Sometimes we get so used to saying, God hears our prayers. That sounds like the only thing God can do is hear us talking. But what if we put it this way, God longs to listen to what you have to say to him. God is the best Father, and like the best Father. He wants you to communicate with him, to tell him your desires, thoughts, hopes, and fears. 4. The fourth is Fellowship a. We were not designed to try and live this life on our own. The Body of Christ is just that, its a body. An organism. We all have different giftings and purposes. Dont think that you can live a life on fire for Christ but separate for His body. 5. The fifth is Get Active
13

a. If you want to be on fire for Christ, you must be active. If your only time with Christ and other believers is on Sunday and Wednesday at church, you will not exhibit the fire Jesus is calling you to. If you love the Lord with everything you have, but there is no expression of that, whatever fire you did have will soon begin to die down. b. If you want to be on fire for Christ, you must be like a fire. Not contained to this building, but you are a follower of Christ everywhere you go. His love will pour out through you, so look for opportunities to show that love to others. This often requires sacrifice. You are going to have to give up things you like doing, for the things Christ wants you to do.

14