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THE FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST June 28, 2026 Pastor Tom Steers Christ the Saviour Lutheran Church, Toronto Our Bible Readings: Old Testament – Jeremiah 28:5-9 Psalm 119:153-160 Epistle – Romans 7:1-13. Gospel – Matthew 10:34–42 Our Hymn for the Day is LSB 656, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igH38WLuyC0&list=RDigH38WLuyC0&start_radio=1 Sermon: ‘The Peace That Divides and the Cross That Saves’ Grace, mercy, and peace be with you from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. When we hear Jesus say, "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword," it can leave us unsettled. After all, isn't Jesus the Prince of Peace? Didn't the angels announce His birth by singing, "Peace on earth"? Doesn't our Lord repeatedly greet His disciples after the resurrection with the words, "Peace be with you"? How then can the same Jesus now speak of bringing not peace, but a sword? The answer lies in understanding the kind of peace Jesus came to bring. The peace Christ gives is not the false peace of avoiding conflict. It’s not peace purchased by compromise. Nor the peace that comes from mere human consensus. Rather, it’s peace with God through the forgiveness of sins. And that peace often creates division in a world that rejects Christ. Jesus warns His disciples that loyalty to Him will not always be welcomed. Sometimes that opposition comes from governments. Sometimes it comes from secular society. Painfully, it even comes from one's own family. The Lord is not encouraging division for its own sake. Rather, He is preparing His people for the reality that the truth of God's Word exposes unbelief, and unbelief often responds with hostility. The prophet Jeremiah experienced exactly that. In today's Old Testament reading, the false prophet Hananiah promised the people exactly what they wanted to hear. He declared that everything would soon be peaceful. The exile would end quickly. The Babylonian threat would disappear. It all sounded hopeful, comforting. But it was not God's Word. Jeremiah, on the other hand, proclaimed the message God had actually given him. It was a message of repentance. A message of judgment before restoration. Jeremiah even said, "Amen! May the Lord do so." He would have loved for Hananiah's words to be true. But wishing something to be true does not make it so. The true prophet is known because he faithfully speaks the Word God has given him. That remains true today. The temptation is always present to soften God's Word. There is constant pressure upon the Church to proclaim only what people find agreeable or ‘politically correct.’ Speak of God's love—but not His holiness. Speak of grace—but not repentance. Speak of acceptance—but not sin. Yet Christ doesn’t authorize His Church to invent a more comfortable message. He sends the Church to proclaim His Word faithfully, whether welcomed or rejected. That is why Jesus speaks of carrying the cross. "The one who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me." The cross is not merely the ordinary hardships of life. Everyone experiences suffering. The cross Jesus describes is the suffering that comes because we belong to Him. It is the ridicule of remaining faithful to God's Word. It is the cost of confessing Christ when others would rather remain silent. It is the loneliness that sometimes comes from refusing to compromise the truth. It’s the burden borne by every disciple who follows the crucified Lord. Yet Jesus also says something that seems equally puzzling. "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Our sinful nature resists those words. Everything within us seeks self-preservation. We want to control our lives. We want comfort, approval. Many want success according to the world's standards. But Christ calls us to something entirely different. He calls us to die. Not merely at the end of earthly life. He calls us daily to die to ourselves. That is exactly what Saint Paul describes in today's Epistle. Paul explains that through our baptism into Christ, we have died to the Law's condemnation. The Law is holy. The Law is good. The problem isn’t the Law, it is our sinful flesh. The Law exposes our sin. It reveals our rebellion and leaves us without excuse. Like a bright light shining into a dark room, God's Commandments reveal everything we would rather hide. That exposure is painful. Yet it’s also necessary. Only those who know they are sick seek the Great Physician. Only those crushed by the Law long for the Gospel. And there the wonderful good news appears. Paul says that we have died with Christ so that we might belong to another—to Him who has been raised from the dead. Our relationship with the condemning power of the Law has ended because Christ has fulfilled the Law for us. He bore its curse and carried our guilt to the cross. He suffered the judgment we deserved. The sword of God's justice fell upon Him at Calvary. Because it fell upon Him, it will never fall upon those who trust in Him. Christian believers belong to Christ and bear fruit for God. Now we live not to earn salvation, but because salvation has already been given as a gift. That changes everything. Even when faithfulness brings hardship, we know our standing before God does not depend upon human approval. Even if family members reject us, Christ receives us. Even if the world mocks us, heaven rejoices over us. If we lose earthly comforts, we possess eternal riches that cannot be taken away. The Psalm appointed for today beautifully captures the heart of every believer. "Your promise gives me life." Notice where the Psalmist finds hope. Not in changing circumstances, nor in popular opinion. Not in worldly success. His confidence rests entirely in God's promises. "All your commandments are true." "The sum of your word is truth." That is the confidence of Christ's Church in every generation. Cultures change. Governments rise and fall. Public opinion shifts constantly. But God's Word endures forever. The same Gospel that saved the apostles still saves sinners today. The same Christ who welcomed repentant tax collectors still receives repentant sinners gathered around His Word and Sacraments. The same Lord who strengthened Jeremiah upholds His Church today. The closing verses of today's Gospel may seem surprisingly simple after such difficult warnings. Jesus speaks about receiving a prophet. Receiving a righteous person. Even giving a cup of cold water to one of His disciples. These acts may appear small. But Jesus says they matter. Why? Because they are acts done in faith toward those who belong to Christ. Our Lord notices even the smallest acts of love flowing from faith. No service offered in His name is forgotten. Whether preaching the Gospel, supporting the Church's ministry, encouraging a fellow believer, or quietly serving a neighbour, Christ Himself receives these gifts as offered to Him. That is remarkable. The King of heaven counts even the smallest service done in faith as precious in His sight. Dear brothers and sisters, Jesus never promised His followers an easy road. He promised a cross. He promised opposition. He promised that faithfulness would sometimes bring painful divisions. But He also promised something infinitely greater. He promised Himself. The One who carried His cross to Golgotha now walks with His people. The Redeemer who died now lives forever. The Saviour who calls us to lose our lives for His sake also promises that we shall truly find them. So do not fear the sword of division when it comes because of Christ. Fear instead the false peace that abandons His truth. Cling to the Word that endures forever. Receive with thanksgiving the forgiveness Christ freely gives. Take up your cross. Follow your Saviour. For the One who calls you is faithful. And the peace He gives—the peace purchased by His blood—is a peace that neither the world nor death itself can ever take away. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.