Peter Barnes | Matthew 10:34-37
SERMON NOTES
NOT PEACE BUT A SWORD
Micah 7:1-20; Matthew 10:34-37
– a startling ‘do not think’ passage (see Matt.3:9; 5:17)
1. Christ came to divide humanity.
– 10:34; this is the Prince of Peace! (Isa.9:6; see Matt.5:9)
– Luke 12:51; Spurgeon: ‘In the act of producing the peace of heaven He arouses the rage of hell.’
– no ‘peace at any price’ Christians
2. Our closest earthly relationships may turn out hostile to us.
– 10:35-36; yet Christ warns against lust (Matt.5:27-28); against easy divorce (Matt.5:31-32); against neglecting respect for parents (Matt.15:3-6); and is tight on His definition of marriage (Matt.19:4-6)
– Spurgeon, Venn, and Hudson Taylor came from Christian households, but Charles Simeon’s father and brother thought he had lost his mind.
3. Our first allegiance is to Christ.
– 10:37; Luke 14:26
– difficult with William Carey and his wife, but Christ is first.