Welcome back to PeaceSmart Relationships.  In this session, we’re going to talk about what happens when a fire rescue fails.  What happens when an attempt at reconciliation doesn’t come to fruition and no forgiveness is extended or no sin is confessed and the Wildfire continues to burn.  We've gone to our brother or sister and we've confronted the situation; they've refused to confess.  We've brought others; we've told it to the church, and there's still no repentance. There's still no forgiveness. There's no restoration. 

This is a picture of a fire break.  A fire break is a gap in vegetation that is intended to take away the fuel source of a Wildfire. And in this picture, you can see that a wide swath of excavation has taken place and they've removed the trees and the brush in the hopes that this Wildfire will not bridge that gap.  It’s a way of containing the Wildfire. And I like to use that term in, in this course, because it is a good example of what happens next, when the fire rescue fails, and what we do while we wait for another attempt at reconciliation. 

When there is a refusal to repent, the Lord instructs us in Matthew 18:17 as follows, “And if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as he would a pagan or a tax collector.”   So the question becomes, well, how do we treat a pagan or a tax collector?  How do we treat someone who doesn't believe in Jesus Christ?  

And Jesus tells us to treat these unrepentant brothers and sisters like an unbeliever because they're acting like an unbeliever.  They're not reconciling. They're not relying relentlessly on Jesus Christ.  They're caught in the trap.  They're caught in the Wildfire. 

 So how do we treat people that are outside of the kingdom?  Well, we love them.  And we treat them evangelistically to get them into the kingdom and, in this case, to rescue a lost sheep and get them back where they belong.  So the fire break represents a breaking into that spiritual fellowship with someone who refuses to repent, until they're prepared to do so.  The purpose of the fire break is to reaffirm God's love for the lost sheep; not to judge them but to wait for their repentance.  

The fire break is a place of intense spiritual warfare.  It's not a place to stand alone. 

Jesus said in Matthew 18:18-20, “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.  Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven, for where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” 

This is the same chapter that Jesus is talking about the pursuit of lost sheep and the requirement to forgive.  The unrepentant brother or sister is not your enemy; they are lost sheep that our Heavenly Father is pursuing.  And if you're that lost sheep, your heavenly Father's pursuing you. 

In Ephesians 6:12 we read, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” 

In 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 we read, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”  

The fire break is a place of intense spiritual warfare.  A place of intense intercession and waiting.  The duration of the fire break is in the Lord's hands, not ours, so don't give up.  Remember that the Lord is always at work and even in those situations where the fire break becomes necessary, rely relentlessly on Jesus Christ.  Be ready to forgive, be ready to restore relationship and as the opportunities arise, to love those lost sheep; let the Holy Spirit lead you and guide you accordingly.  It's the Lord's patience that empowers us to wait. 

In Romans 2:4 we read, “Do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?”  The only way that we can exercise patience in the fire break is to stay at the Peacefire, to rely relentlessly on Jesus Christ. 

Our flesh doesn't have the kind of patience that God has.  And if we try to stay in the fire break in the flesh, we will find that we'll become bitter, self-righteous, and judgmental toward that unrepentant lost sheep.  And we will also be tempted to become bitter while we wait. 

By staying at the Peacefire, we remain ready to forgive, always willing to pursue that lost sheep to restore relationship and reconcile as the Lord has restored relationship with us and reconciled us to Him. 

God bless you. We'll see you next time.



Last modified: Wednesday, July 19, 2023, 10:10 AM