Warnings and Encouragements From Jesus
Himself
(Luke chapter 12, verses 1-12)
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Last
week as we closed out our in-depth analysis of Luke chapter 11, we
finished a chapter in which Jesus used an invitation from a member of
the Sanhedrin – the Jewish ruling council at Jerusalem – to come
and dine with him as a podium for his contempt for the Jewish
religious establishment of that time. Jesus told them off – every
last one of them – after being rebuked for not washing properly
before sitting down to eat. 'Don't you dare tell me', Jesus was
saying to them in summary, 'about my poor manners when you yourselves
are filled with such virulent hypocrisy!' And so today, as we move on
to chapter 12, we find that a large crowd has gathered within as well
as outside the palatial home where this fancy luncheon was being
served, presumably because of the commotion being caused by Jesus'
critical speech to his hosts. So let's begin right there at verse 1
of chapter 12.
“Meanwhile,
when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were
trampling on one another, Jesus began first by speaking to his
disciples, saying, 'Be on your guard against the yeast of the
Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. There is nothing concealed that will
not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you
have said in the dark will be revealed in the daylight, and what you
have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from
the roofs.'” (Luke 12, verses 1-3)
Watch
out, Jesus was warning his apostles and those near them, for the
teachings of organized religion! This is a lesson that we can still
take to heart today. Now don't misread my meaning here, I'm not
implying that all denominational Christian churches are evil or
corrupt. The fact is there are lots of good churches out there that
are being administered by gifted and Spirit-filled pastors, and we
must never discount the tremendous value this represents. But there
are other teachings and denominations that cause strife and that are
divisive, and these types of things should be avoided at all costs!
For example, there's the argument over the exact timing of the
Rapture of the Church and Jesus' return, over what day of the week
the Sabbath falls on, or which denomination has the “correct”
teaching about this or that. All of these arguments – and that's
all they really are – are secondary to the teaching of the
salvation of Christ which can be found only through his shed blood on
the cross, which has saved us all from certain condemnation!
Everything else pales in comparison!
“There
is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will
not be made known.”
'If you think you can hide anything from God', Jesus was warning the
crowd, 'you may as well forget about it'. This warning extends to
governments and businesses as well as individuals. Meaning, every
government scandal that has been concealed, every crime that has been
committed that was never prosecuted (especially where someone lost
their life), every shady business deal or bogus investment where
people got swindled out of their money, property, investments or
other assets will be found out. Moreover, every illicit affair,
betrayal, theft and all the cheating of various kinds that has gone
on unnoticed will be given billboard ad status. It doesn't say how
all these things will occur, but if the Bible says it will happen you
can be sure it will.
“What
you have said in the dark will be revealed in the daylight, and what
you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed
from the roofs.”
All the folks who sneak around behind the backs of others doing this
or that, every conversation that no one else was supposed to hear,
and everything that has been concealed for nefarious purposes will be
exposed to all, just like a newspaper headline. The darkest secret
will be broadcast to the entire planet, and no one will be able to
stop any of these things from occurring. Now let's continue our study
starting at verse 4.
“I
tell you, my friends, do not fear those who can kill the body and
after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear:
Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you
into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not 5 sparrows sold for two
pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very
hairs on our head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth
more than many sparrows.” (Luke 12, verses 4-7)
'Don't
be afraid of those who sneak around behind you to do you harm, and
don't fear death, either', Jesus was admonishing them. Death, or mean
and crooked people, can only harm your physical or psychological
self. But fear Satan, fear the devil and all the evil that
accompanies him, because it is only he who can throw your soul into
hell! And once you're in hell, that's where you'll stay forever!
There is no escape! That's what Jesus was trying to tell us here, but
then he further clarified his warning about the fear of death. “Are
not 5 sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten
by God.” If not even
one single sparrow is forgotten by God, how much more for ourselves?
If not even one sparrow is forgotten by God, then will he not spare
the rest of your family and even your house-pets? 'Worrying about
these things is pointless, so quit doing that', Jesus was instructing
them. “Don't be afraid;
you are worth more than many sparrows.”
Don't fear death, it's only a transition, not an end unto itself!
Jesus will be there waiting for us when our time comes to cross over
to the other side. Instead of being preoccupied with that, be
attentive to obeying the commandments and teachings of Jesus Christ!
And now let's move on to the next portion of our study, starting at
verse 8.
“I
tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will
also acknowledge him before the angels of God. But he who disowns me
before men, I will disown before the angels of God. And every man who
speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who
blasphemes the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.” (Luke 12, verses
8-10)
Never
be bashful or reticent regarding your faith in Jesus, and Jesus will
reciprocate by standing with you throughout your life. Do not
hesitate to tell others about your faith when asked, and always be on
the lookout for opportunities to share your faith with those in need
of counseling or encouragement. Because if we fail to do these
things, we are already dead in the sight of God. “Faith without
works is dead”, wrote the apostle James (see James 2: 17), and it's
just as true right now as it was when those words were first written
down roughly 1,960 years ago. If any of us were to walk up to a
homeless woman with 2 little kids sitting on a park bench and pray
for all of them without bothering to make any kind of real
contribution prior to walking away, what good is that? Does anyone
reading this seriously believe for more than a split second that God
will hear that prayer? Of course He won't!
If
we profess our Christian faith 6 ways from Sunday while never
troubling ourselves to ever be of service to anyone other than
ourselves, we are missing the mark and falling short because of our
own behavior. We're doing this to ourselves! Worse yet, when we do
any or all of these negative things, when we fail to acknowledge our
faith in the presence of others, or when we walk right past my
hypothetical homeless mom and little kids as so very many would, we
fail to put our faith into action and so lose out on what would have
been our reward! If we fail to acknowledge our faith, Jesus will not
acknowledge us when our time comes to stand before the throne of God
(see Revelation 20: 11-15). “...anyone
who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.”
One example of this would be those who reject the fact that Jesus was
and is the Son of God. Another would be those who don't believe in
the crucifixion or the resurrection of Christ on Passover/Easter.
Anyone who thinks they can just flip off God and walk away with no
consequences are only kidding themselves. And now let's finish up
today's study with verses 11 and 12 of Luke 12.
“When
you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not
worry about how you will defend yourselves and what you will say, for
the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”
On
the surface of this, it seems as if Jesus is hopping around from one
topic to another, but upon closer examination I find this to be an
extension of his previous sentence from the present into the future.
At the time Jesus said this, nothing in this statement had come to
pass. It was only after the Day of Pentecost and the start-up of the
early Church that persecution of Christians by the Roman Empire began
in earnest. These are also 2 verses that I quote to those who love to
quote from Romans chapter 13 (“The ruling authorities are
established by God....”). The ruling authorities may indeed be
established by God, but they can also be removed just as easily as
they were established. Moreover, whenever these same authorities
falsely accuse one of those they govern, the Holy Spirit will give
those individuals the right words to free themselves with. So do not
fear authority no matter how abusive, and do not fear death either,
no matter how dreadful either may seem. God will uphold you all. I
should know, he's been doing this same thing for me for a
quarter-century now. If God is willing to do these things for me, do
you now see that he is just as willing to do all these things for
yourselves as well? Of course you do, and of course He will too! And
next week we'll move on to part 2 of chapter 12 of the Gospel of
Luke.
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