“A Call to Courageous Sincerity”
(Luke 12:1-12)
Series: Certainty in Uncertain Times
Rev. Todd a. Linn, PhD
Henderson’s First Baptist Church, Henderson
- Take your Bibles and join me in Luke, chapter 12 (page 701); also Youversion Bible app., click on “Live” and enter the zip code or Henderson, KY and you’ll find today’s sermon title. Click on that and you’re set. The wireless password is “sanctuary.”
While you’re finding Luke 12, I want to remind you to pray for our high school students as they are making their way back this morning from Crossings Camp. You’ll want to check out all the pictures from the new blog site available through our church website at fbchenderson.org. Our 6th—12th graders will be back with us this afternoon so pray for their safe return. I understand at least one of them prayed to receive Christ and we rejoice in that. Also, Jonathan Santos, who heads up our Hispanic worship service here at 9 AM left me a voicemail yesterday evening that they had won a young Hispanic lady to Christ yesterday in their ongoing outreach and so we rejoice also in this ministry.
Next week is the student mission trip to Indianapolis and then the week following a missional team is going to Boston to help Tanner Turley and the folks at the Redemption Hill church plant there in Medford. So be in prayer for these teams. If you’re interested in going on the mission trip to Southeast Asia; Thailand and Laos, the deadline is Friday and you’ll see that in your copy of the Worship Weekly.
A couple weeks ago I shared with you about one of our members who has been called to full-time Gospel ministry, Lucas Ricketts. Lucas and his family are moving this week to Louisville where Lucas will attend Boyce Bible College. We shared a video clip and some of you were not here so I want to share this again and just remind you how you can prayerfully support Lucas and his family.
VIDEO CLIP: Lucas Ricketts [about 4 mins.]
I want to remind you that you can support Lucas both prayerfully and financially. We handed out these sheets about the Ricketts family a few weeks ago and they’re available again this morning at the doors. Lucas has a job and he will be able to keep this job, returning to Evansville weekly in order to work a couple days and drive back to Louisville. Like nearly every seminary student I’ve ever known, he and Stacie will be living on a very meager budget and so if you feel led to help this young man, I encourage you to give generously. I don’t know where I would be without the help of my church back in Georgia when we moved to Louisville years ago to attend seminary. I worked two jobs and Michele worked a job and we had the two boys to care for as I was immersed in full-time studies and it sure was good to have people back home who sent a monthly gift to help out with tuition and books. I believe Lucas is a great investment and I encourage you to consider supporting him.
We preach through books of the Bible here at Henderson’s First Baptist Church. The best way to teach the Bible is to teach the Bible. So we’re in the Book of Luke and we find ourselves at the beginning of chapter 12. Crowds are forming and people are pushing and shoving to get near Jesus and Jesus takes this opportunity to speak directly and pointedly to His disciples, to those who have agreed to follow Him.
- Stand in honor of the reading of the Word of God.
1 In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
2 “For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.
3 “Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.
4 ” And 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 show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!
6 “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God.
7 “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
8 ” Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God.
9 “But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
10 “And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.
11 “Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.
12 “For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
- Pray.
Introduction:
Few of us are unfamiliar with those little user agreements that pop up when you are updating your iTunes or downloading software, or purchasing something on the internet. You’re in a hurry and you’re trying to click quickly through something and suddenly this “user agreement” pops up. It’s full of words, thousands of words, small type font you can hardly read. So you scroll down to the bottom where there is a box for you to click that says something like, “I certify that I have read this agreement and agree to its terms.” Then you click the box and you’re off and running.
Truth is few of us read those bothersome user agreements. The first time I clicked on the box that said I had read the whole thing and agreed to the terms without actually having read the entire legal dissertation, I had a slight pang of conscience, but not anymore. Now I just click right through those things with record speed—and most of you probably do, too. They’ve become kind of like those disclaimers at the bottom of television ads for new cars—all that small print at the bottom of the TV screen that just flashes from one frame to the next. Who reads that stuff?!
Unlike user agreements on the internet or disclaimers at the bottom of our television screens, God provides for us the requirements and assurances of following Jesus Christ. That’s what these twelve verses are about: the requirements and assurances of following Christ. And unlike those lengthy disclaimers full of technical jargon and extraneous legalese, verses 1-12 are very clear and straightforward; our Lord’s plain teachings about what it means to follow Him. So we’ll go back through this passage of Scripture and look a little more closely at the requirements and assurances of followers of Christ. How many of you are followers of Christ, can I see your hands? I raise mine with you. Let’s look at what is required of Christ’s disciples. First:
1) We’re known for our Authenticity (1-3)
If there’s one character quality people want to see in Christians it is the quality of being “for real.” People want to know if you are for real, if your church is for real, if your pastor is for real. Of course we are not perfect. We will always be sinners, but people want to know whether we are authentic or whether we’re just putting on a show, the meaning behind the word hypocrisy; to act one way on the outside when we’re really a different person on the inside.
There will always be some who charge the church with hypocrisy: “I’m not going to that church it’s full of hypocrites!” I’ve shared with you before my ready answer to that accusation, the charge that the church is full of hypocrites: “No, the church isn’t full of hypocrites; we’ve got room for one more.” But that people can accuse the church of being “full of hypocrites” means that there has been a great deal of hypocrisy among those who profess to follow Christ. Yet, what do we read in Scripture? What does our Lord say? Last part of verse one, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.”
Jesus calls hypocrisy the “leaven” of the Pharisees. Leaven was the old, unused part of dough that had become sour and fermented. If it were not thrown out, but mixed together with new dough it then soured and spoiled the new dough. And Jesus says that hypocrisy is that way. It sours and spoils others. Your hypocrisy affects another.
The Pharisees were on the mind of Jesus because He had just addressed their hypocrisy. In the previous chapter, chapter 11, Jesus had taken the Pharisees to task over their hypocrisy. He had cleaned their clock over their hypocrisy. Remember this? Verse 39, for example, Jesus said, “Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.” You look one way on the outside, but you’re a different person on the inside. Or again, verses 43 and following: “Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!”
These Pharisees were looking one way on the outside, but were full of wickedness on the inside. Outside they looked spiritual but inside they were full of pride and self-centeredness. Now watch what Jesus says back in our text, Luke 12, verse 2:
2 “For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.
3 “Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.
Jesus says the day will come when God will expose what’s in our hearts. God will expose our hypocrisy. Whatever hypocrisy that has been concealed as on the inside of a cup, invisible to those who see only the outside of the cup—that hypocrisy will one day be exposed. God will judge our hearts. “There is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.” God will judge our hearts. Whatever dark secrets we have hypocritically kept in our hearts will be brought to light as a thing proclaimed from the housetops.
All of this is given with reference to a future judgment. The Bible says in Acts 17:31 that “God has appointed a day on which He will judge the world.” God will judge the inner recesses of our hearts. If we’re in Christ; if we’re saved, we have nothing to fear at the judgment. Our sins are paid for in Christ and our Christian growth evinces a life that has changed, a life that seeks consistency between what is in on the inside and what is on the outside. But if we are hypocrites, then we have something to fear at the judgment because God will expose our hypocrisy.
I ask you: “Are you a hypocrite?” Why do you do what you do? What motivates you? For example, the question for me is not, “Did you preach well, but why did you preach?” What motivated you, Todd? What’s in your heart? Did you preach for human approval? Applause? Financial gain? Did you regard preaching as merely a job? What’s in your heart? God says, “I know what’s in your heart and I will bring it to light on the Day of Judgment.”
What about you? Why do you do what you do? What motivates you? What’s in your heart? The question is not, “Did you go to church, but why did you go to church? Why do you teach a Sunday school class? Why do you tithe? Why do you talk to certain people and ignore others? Why do you not forgive? What’s in your heart? God knows. Let’s be “for real.” Let’s be known for our authenticity. Secondly, followers of Christ are to be known for their bravery.
2) We’re known for our Bravery (4-7)
4 ” And 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 show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!
Here is a call for bravery in the face of persecution. The disciples would, of course, face persecution at the hands of unbelievers. Church tradition tells us that all but one of the twelve died a martyr’s death. So Jesus issues a call for bravery when facing fiery trials.
He addresses His disciples in verse 4 as “My friends.” What a beautiful statement and a wonder to consider that Jesus calls us His friends. He says, “Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more they can do.” In other words, “All they can do is kill you. They have no power over your soul.” Rather, Jesus says, “Fear the one whom—after the killing of the body, has power to cast you into hell; fear Him!” God has the power to cast our bodies into hell. He is the One we are to fear.
We have here so much teaching if time permitted. Our Lord teaches the reality of hell. It’s a real place. People go there. And Jesus teaches that the preservation of our physical lives is not the chief purpose of our existence. “Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body,” He says, as though the preservation of our lives were the very orb of our existence. If you live with the idea that you will always be safe and sound and never face any trouble you will forever be enslaved by the shackles of fear. You will be afraid to even step outside of your house. “Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body.” Your body will one day cease to exist and in all likelihood much sooner than you think. Don’t fear the death of your body. Fear where your soul will spend eternity. Fear God who has power over your soul.
Now if we fear God and if we have entrusted our lives to God through faith in Jesus Christ, then we need fear nothing. God is going to care for us. God has got us covered. In His providential love and care, the God who preserves our lives cares for our souls. Verse 6:
6 “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God.
The people of Jesus’ day knew that sparrows were cheap. Five sold for two small Greek coins, the assarius, a coin that was 1/16th of a day’s wage. Sparrows were cheap, inexpensive food, the “Taco Bell cuisine” of the first century. Jesus says, “Aren’t these tiny sparrows sold for practically nothing—yet not one of them is forgotten before God.” God cares for the tiniest sparrow that is here today and gone tomorrow, will He not much more care for you? Verse 7:
7 “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Well, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals might disagree with Jesus. There’s so much protecting of animals in today’s culture one would think animals were vastly superior to the human race. We talked about this last Wednesday in our theology class here in the sanctuary; reading through Wayne Grudem’s, Systematic Theology. Unlike any other created being, only humans are created in the image of God. Only humans are “like” God and “represent” God. Only humans bear God’s image, which is why you’ll never find a dog scratching his head wondering about the meaning of life or why you’ll never see anthropologist Jane Goodall’s chimpanzees—intelligent as they are—you’ll never find them sitting around a table intelligently discussing the Holy Trinity. Only humans bear God’s image. Humans are the crowning achievement of God’s six days of creation.
And God has a special love for those humans who are His children, those who follow His Son Jesus Christ. They are of “far more value than many sparrows.” Jesus says God can account for every hair of your head, Christian. He says in verse 7, “the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” He cares for the smallest detail.
Did you know the average person has somewhere between 90,000 to 145,000 strands of hair on his or her head? God knows every single one. It doesn’t take God long to account for my hair! I heard sometime back that if a man is bald at the front of his head it means he’s a thinker, bald at the back of his head means he’s sexy, and if he’s bald all over it means he thinks he’s sexy!
Don’t miss the encouraging doctrine of God’s providence here in these verses. If God cares for the tinniest of sparrows, He cares for you, Christian. Like the popular song, “His eye is on the sparrow; and I know He watches me.” God cares for you. He knows what you’re going through. He’s working all things according to the perfect counsel of His will. Nothing happens in your life by accident. Somehow God is working through every one of your problems in a way to perform what is absolutely best. It may not always appear that way, like the inverted side of a quilt with all the tangled massive web of strands of yarn going this way and that, but when you turn the quilt over there is beauty and order and wonder. God is at work in your life. Believe it and be encouraged. Believe it and sleep easily at night. Believe it and be brave.
Followers of Christ are to be known for their authenticity and their bravery. Thirdly:
3) We’re known for our Loyalty (8-12)
8 ” Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God.
9 “But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
If we are followers of Christ we will be loyal to Him to the end. We will unashamedly confess Christ before others. This confession begins with the ordinance of baptism. When we are baptized we are identifying publicly and unashamedly with Jesus Christ. We are declaring our allegiance to Him. If we refuse to be baptized then we do not identify with Christ. We do not follow His teachings and we therefore deny that we belong to Him. This is why baptism is the first step of obedience in following Christ.
And if as believers we find ourselves at moments where we are to identify our allegiance we will do so unashamedly. We will confess Christ at school, we will confess Christ at the workplace, at the gym, and in our community. We will be quick to identify that we are loyal subjects of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There is no such thing as a “Secret Disciple.” Our allegiance to Jesus Christ is known publicly. We will confess Him before men.
And if we do not confess Jesus Christ publicly before others, what are the consequences? The Bible says Jesus Christ will deny us before the angels of God. One of the greatest beauties of being “in Christ” is to know that at the Judgment God the Father looks upon us and sees the righteousness of Christ covering our sin. God can’t look at Christians without seeing Christ. It is as though God looks at us and Jesus says, “He’s one of mine.” But if we deny Christ for fear or self-preservation, God looks at us and Jesus says, “He’s not one of mine.” It’s a terrible thought! If I disown Christ in a foolish moment now, He will disown me for all eternity.
Now a true believer in Christ will not disown Him. Only those who persistently harden their hearts to the convicting work of the Holy Spirit and God’s provision of Christ as Savior will remain unforgiven. This is the meaning behind verse 10:
10 “And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.
If any of us listening to this message remains hard of heart and refuses to trust Christ as Lord and Savior then we will never be forgiven of our sins. Why? Because we are unrepentant. We have refused to allow the Holy Spirit to soften our hearts. The same hot sun that melts wax also hardens clay. How do you respond to the teaching of the Gospel? The Bible says in Hebrews 3:15, “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” Trust Jesus Christ and be saved.
And if you trust Christ as Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit enters into you and guides you and helps you, helping you even to stand faithfully in the face of persecution. Verses 11-12:
11 “Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.
12 “For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
Even when you face trials for your faith—something few of us see living today in America—but even if you are to face opposing authorities because of your Christian faith, Jesus says, “Don’t worry.” The Holy Spirit within you will guide you. The Holy Spirit will teach you exactly what to say in that hour, just as the Holy Spirit helped the Apostle Peter after he was arrested for healing the lame man who had sat at the temple gate in Acts 3. When pressed to explain his actions, the Bible says, “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, spoke” to them (Acts 4:8);” the Holy Spirit taught Peter in that very hour what to say.
And God will do the same for you and me when we are placed in situations where we are asked to give a reason for the hope that is within us. The Holy Spirit will guide you as to what to say. Trust Him to do that as you declare your allegiance to Jesus Christ this week. Let us all trust the Holy Spirit to guide in the days ahead as we are known for our authenticity, our bravery, and our loyalty.
- Stand for prayer.
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