Luke 12:1-11

Luke 12:1-11

1 Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 “But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. 3 “Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops.

4 “I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. 5 “But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! 6 “Are not five sparrows sold for two cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.

8 “And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; 9 but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. 10 “And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him. 11 “When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

Students complete their class work with final exams that are meant to measure their comprehension of the material that was covered during a semester.  The days leading up to final exams are some of the most stressful, especially for students that procrastinate with their studies.  In many respects, all of us are taking exams during our entire life.  When we reach the end of our life, our “Professor” will “grade” our examination in what is call the judgment.  Jesus was constantly preparing His disciples for that coming reality.  He wants all of us to realize the significance of this judgment and He is very intentional about preparing His followers to be ready for it.  Our current text teaches us several truths Jesus taught about this judgment.  We would to well to prepare for this coming reality.

THE JUDGMENT WILL DISCLOSE SECRETS: Secrecy is an illusion.  There are NO secrets!  Everything that any of us has ever done, said and thought is completely known by God.  Jesus wants His disciples to know and live in light of this truth.  He warns them to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees which is hypocrisy.  A hypocrite is someone who appears to be one thing on the outside, but is something completely different on the inside.  The Pharisees were greatly concerned about their appearances before men but were not concerned with what God could see in their hearts.  The Pharisees did not have a corner on the market of hypocrisy.  All of us tend to put more effort into promoting our reputations before man than making sure our hearts are right before God.  Jesus wants us to know that the things that were kept in secret before men will be broadcast in the final judgment.  None of us will ever be perfect in our deeds, words or thoughts on this side of heaven.  However, we must look to God’s grace and ask Him to strengthen us and apply due diligence in growing in both our actions and our attitudes.  God is not fooled or impressed with an external conformity to standards that do not align with a heart that is broken and humbled before Him.

THE JUDGMENT WILL DETERMINE ETERNITY: Life is precious and all of us have the desire to do all we can to preserve our lives.  However, eternal life is far more precious than our current physical lives.  Serving the Lord can be a dangerous way to live.  There are many who attack those who want to serve the Lord.  Persecution has always been a part of the lives of those who proclaim the will and Word of God.  Many of God’s prophets were martyred for their faith just as many men and women continue to be killed for the cause of Christ today.  It is only natural that we live with a certain fear of death, but we should fear the judgment of God more than death.  We are called to live in the fear of the Lord.  He, like the men who persecute believers, has the ability to take away our lives.  However, can also send us to eternal condemnation.  We must not allow our fear of men or our live of life discourage us from living in obedience to God.  Besides having the authority to determine our eternal destiny though the judgment, God has the ability to protect us in the present.  He cares for the sparrows and knows when one of them is killed.  He is very aware of the sufferings we face and has compassion of us.  The point is not to fear the persecution of men because God has more authority to judge and more ability to protect.

THE JUDGMENT WILL DEMONSTRATE LOYALTY: As much as we know that it makes no sense to fear men more than fear the Lord; it is hard to live in light of that truth.  We see men constantly, but we don’t see God.  We feel the pain of persecution and the condemnation of men now.  God’s judgment is in the future, so it is easier to ignore.  Jesus warns us that this natural way of thinking is very dangerous and will eventually lead to terrible consequences.  If we deny Him before men; He will deny us before the Father.  A true believer in Christ will acknowledge Him before men and not be ashamed of Him or disown Him.  There is, however, forgiveness in Christ.  Peter denied Christ, but repented and was forgiven.  What is important for us to realize is that the Lord knows all about our loyalties or lack thereof.  He loves us dearly and has send His beloved Son to die for our sins so we can be reconciled to Him.  A denial of Christ is a rejection of His love.  Besides sending His Son, the Father has also sent His Spirit to lead men into the truth of His Word.  It is impossible for a person to come to Christ apart from the work of the Holy Spirit.  Those who blaspheme against Him cannot be forgiven because they will not come to Christ.  Jesus is the only means of forgiveness and the Spirit is the only means to Jesus.  Those who constantly ignore the work of the Spirit and reject His leading will be condemned before God.  How we respond to the Spirit and the Son is clearly known by God and will be judged by Him.

APPLICATION: Know that all we say, do and think are known by God and will be revealed at the judgment, so like with that truth in mind.  Don’t allow the circumstances of the moment fill our hearts with the fear of man.  The way of wisdom requires that we fear the Lord alone.  Don’t deny or be ashamed of Christ and be sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in our lives.