The Fear that Defines Us
Series: Encountering Jesus (through the Gospel of Luke)
Brad Bailey – September 15, 2019
Text – Luke 12:1-12
Series #38
Intro
Welcome to Fall. I know that here in Southern California…some of you from other parts of the country may dismiss that we have seasons here. But I’m born and bread here…and I feel it… the dramatic nuances. This week one morning I felt the briskness… and exchanged my flip flops for shoes. That is a a true sign that Fall is here. So I can officially welcome to the Fall season..
It’s the season in which as we feel the brisk air…it can sharpen our senses… as we’re getting our minds honed in again.
And so as we continue in our series Encountering Jesus through the Gospel of Luke…we come to a point in which Jesus engages his followers…and us… with the defining issues.
Today we must consider…do we have a center … something within us that we live our lives in relationship to…. or are we just living in response to whatever expectations may arise around us?
So lets take a deep breath… and pray.
PRAYER –
Luke 12:1 ?Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
Imagine… such a crowd…”many thousands”.
If such a crowd grew to come hear Jesus…we would think that his attention on the small group of disciples next to him would diminish. But in this moment… there is something that must be addressed. [1]
He must sharpen one issue…that of hypocrisy.
As you may recall from many references we have engaged in the past…
The word “hypocrite” was used in Greek society to describe an actor who gave performances to make money. It means acting like someone who you really aren’t in order to get people’s approval.
We tend to cast it upon those who are simply too self-righteous… and not see it as our problem. A common way we react to the very word “hypocrisy”…is to think of the most overt and offensive figures that have claimed one thing and been found to be such frauds.
The examples are plenty…but there is the irony in our love to denounce hypocrites. As soon as we speak of “those hypocrites”…who are so obvious in their inconsistencies… we might not see that we are just creating a new type of sinner to judge … and embrace the same type of self-righteousness and superiority that we have been judging.
Everyone loves to speak against the hypocrites… feel less hypocritical in doing so.
That helps us understand the significance of how Jesus raises this issue. He clearly raises this as an issue that doesn’t effect just few obvious offenders…but rather it’s a dominant dynamic for us all.
This may help us understand why he speaks to disciples. While we tend to consider it as something that can be relegated to the real frauds out there… Jesus turns to his most faithful disciples because he knows that are perfectly capable of this hypocrisy. They will those who are entrusted with a different way…the life Jesus brings… and he must help them to guard themselves.
And he says… “Be on your guard. . .” (Luke 12:1). What hypocrisy represents is not something you can just assume isn’t at work …you have to stand against it. It flows from the natural impulses of life.
And it spreads like yeast.
This problem is not simply the hypocrisy of the Pharisees… the religious leaders of the day…but it is the “yeast of the Pharisees which is hypocrisy.”
The whole point of the illustration, of the fermented dough being incorporated into the next bunch when you’re making the batch of bread is that it's designed to spread throughout the whole.
It’s a disease… a disease to please…and like all diseases…it is something which corrupts the way we were created to function. We were not created to perform to one another. We were create for living in response to God as our center.
And in fact the crowd was not competing for this talk…it was the context for this talk.
And this may explain why the crowd was not a distraction to his point…but the very backdrop. They were the temptation that rose before the disciples…the symbol of success… the stage they could perform for.
Hypocrisy is about who we truly live in relationship to.
The religious leaders claimed to be living in relationship to God ...but their lives were actually defined by their relationship to people.
?At the root of hypocrisy is the primary audience we live our lives out to… the approval we seek most. [2]
You may think…I don’t claim to be particularly good…so I can’t be a hypocrite. But the hypocrite is any life that is performing to others more than God.
We think it’s about putting on too ideal of a performance… but Jesus says it’s about the whole nature of performing.
The root of hypocrisy is not about fraudulence…but about fear….who we fear most.
It’s about the audience we live our lives out to.
…This is what we hear Jesus speak to…
Luke 12:2-12 ?2 There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 3 What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs. 4 "I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5 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. 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. 8 "I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. 9 But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.
10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 11 "When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say."
With these words Jesus is putting our lives in perspective.
His words are strong… we may think we are hearing the harsh words of punishment…but they are words of warning.
He points them to the final judgment and He says that in the final judgment there's nothing that's hidden that's not going to be revealed.
So if hypocrisy seeks to what? — cover up what's inside and make the outside look better than the inside is, Jesus is saying, “Let me tell you what the future of hypocrisy is — everything's going to be revealed. Nothing's going to be hidden that's going to stay covered up. It's all going to be revealed. That's the future of hypocrisy.”
That future will fail you. It fails to achieve the ends of its user. Because there will be no secrets in the end.
If I follow the way of believing that I can cover up what's worst about me, and minimize to myself what is worst about me, and put on a good exterior to fool others, and then I can get by with nobody knowing what I'm really like… Jesus says in the end everything is going to be opened up and we will face the consequences.
If we are merely actors performing to the audience of this world… one day we will walk off the stage … and face the substance of who we are.
What runs through his words is the choice of who we live our lives out to… and who we fear most.
Life is defined by who we fear.
The truth is that what we give the greatest worth to…is what we worship.
We worship who matters most.
Jesus is calling us out of fearing others more than God.
He is not stating that we should not care about others.
We are social creatures… our whole lives we seek acceptance and affirmation from those around us. Natural…but unnatural… because it becomes a mutually agreed performance.
The affirmation of others is easier and immediate.
Even Jesus said… those who do good deeds for others to see …will get their reward in full… but not God’s. In other words… there may be a reward.
What Jesus calls us to…is a deeper relationship with God.
Live with an awareness and affection for God.
“I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who 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. – Luke 12:4,5
Not the fear because one wants to harm you...but because of their position over life itself… to defy them is to defy life.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. – Proverbs 9:10
Such fear is foundational because it means you know what matters most. [3]
It’s not a matter of just not caring about what other people think…it’s a matter of developing an inner love for God…and grasping His supremacy.
The command to ‘not be afraid’ and to ‘fear not’ is the most spoken command in the bible.
Jesus wants us to take in who God is.
In particular… Jesus implies…
1. Live as one who knows everything is seen by God
You are truly seen by God.
Luke 12:2-3 ?There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 3 What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.
• Everything that is concealed is going to be revealed (v. 2). - Everything that is hidden will be made known (v. 2).
• Everything that was said in private will be made public (v. 3).
- At Final Judgment, all that we’ve done will be out there for people to see.
- I’d venture to say… that is difficult to imagine.
- There was an interesting movie a while back called “The Truman Show.” The main character, played by Jim Carrey, was actually an unknowing subject of a 24/7 TV show. That meant that everything he said and did was known to all. Most of us would be horrified to think that our life had any similarities to that. Yet the Bible says they do.
We live in a world that has mastered the ability to create images of ourselves… while also managing a part of our lives in secrecy.
I can withdraw into the privacy of my home… my private browser… and keep up the social media profiles that I prefer you to see.
- We all have moments of our lives that we presume is being done in “Private Living.” We think things we shouldn’t think, but it’s ok because it’s done privately. We do things we shouldn’t do, but it’s ok because it’s done privately. We say things we shouldn’t say, but it’s ok because it’s done privately.
2. Live as one who knows they are accountable to God
You are ultimately accountable to God.
Luke 12:5 ?Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.
It’s important to understand that hell does not simply describe an arbitrary punishment… but rather it is the natural consequence of those who don’t want relationship with God being separated from God. [4]
Some may believe that there is no eternal life and center …so life is just a matter of putting on the best show... and the very idea of being consistent makes little sense.
Some may think they are only accountable to themselves.
Some believe that we simply live according to our own conscience ... to what you understand to be good….and that is good to the degree that our conscience is good... but it is a fallen independent source. It creates Mother Teresa and Adolph Hitler.
The point is that God is the one we are most ultimately accountable to.
He is the source of life to which my life is responsible.
That is not an excuse for not caring about how you treat other people….or relate to other people. We are certainly accountable to others in how we treat one another…whether we have honored one another…but we are accountable to God for our very existence…and whether we have honored God..
This is what defined the life of Jesus…and what he is calling us into.
At the end of his life…he prayed to the Father…. “father …I have completed the work you have me to do.” There’s no doubt there were many lives who misunderstood Jesus…who were disappointed that he didn’t fit their expectations. But he was ultimately accountable to God.
He lived to hear those words… well done my good and faithful servant. That is what he wants for you to live for.
3. Live as one who knows they are intimately cared for by God.
You are intimately cared for by God.
Luke 12:6-7 ?Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Jesus’ point is that sparrows were not worth much…five for about an eighth of a days wage…. yet God notices every one of them and cared for them. How much more does God care about people when He even keeps track of the number of hairs on your head.
God’s care transcends all the limitation that we may find in this world.
We try so hard to be important. We wonder if we are really valued.
We spend our whole lives trying to perform for people who can’t see their own worth…let alone our own.
Meanwhile… God knows every hair on our head.
Who knows you that intimately? Who cares about you with that much?
This does not mean he’ll spare us from opposition, but that he will care for us even in the midst of that opposition. [5]
And ultimately all of this comes together to call us to confess our commitment to him.
Luke 12:8-12 ?"I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. 9 But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.
In these words lies a choice… a choice between living to please others…or please God.
In these words is the greatest promise that any sinner could ever hope for.
If we acknowledge him…he will acknowledge us. [6]
He didn’t say… impose him on others…or be obnoxious. He said…acknowledge him before others.
Maybe you have felt the call to acknowledge Jesus…but you are afraid of what others will think.
Today… face that fear… realize that he is the center.
Maybe you have chosen tat center….but you feel pretty uncentered inside. Maybe you sense that you have related to God more as one you hope will be a quiet side element of your life.
And today…you hear his call to acknowledge him.
Closing Prayer and worship.
Resources: Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III (“The Leaven of Hypocrisy”); Jim Butcher (How To Avoid Hypocrisy In Your Life); Scott L. Harris (Preventions for Hypocrisy)
For a more direct message on the Fear of Man vs Fear of God – see - From Fearing Man To Fearing God at https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/from-fearing-man-to-fearing-god-brad-bailey-sermon-on-moving-forward-228471
And for the Luke message focused on the Symptoms of Hypocrisy from text which precedes in Luke see Confronting Hypocrisy here.
Notes:
1. Hypocrisy was on Jesus’ mind. In the preceding text Jesus had just been engaging with the Pharisees and their colleagues, the scribes, the lawyers, very respected religious leaders in Judaism, and He had said among other things that at the very heart of their practice of religion was hypocrisy. And Jesus is deeply concerned that His own disciples not be infected by the same spirit.
2. Jesus emphasizes that the root of the problem…is who the religious leaders were trying to impress.
Mt 6:1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
Mt 23:5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others.
3. Among many references in the Scriptures are:
And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul… - Dt 10:12
Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers. - – Acts 9:31
Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!” – Rev 19:5
4 As one notes well: Ultimately every person will stand before Him to be judged. According to 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 and 2 Corinthians 5:10, the believer will have his works judged whether they were good or bad and whether they were of eternal nature or temporal. The works of a believer may be burned up, but he will not be condemned because there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). The unbeliever will be judged by his works and condemned because he did not obey the gospel of the Lord Jesus (2 Thessalonians 1:7-8).
5. This is captured so well by Paul in Romans 8:31-39
If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?...
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:31-39
6. As one notes: Confession, oJmolovgew / homolge , carries the ideas of “to assure,” “to promise,” “to admit,” “to concede,” “to bear witness,” and in this context, “to confirm allegiance.” In Paul’s writing in Romans 10:9-10, to “confess with you mouth Jesus as Lord” is “to make a solemn statement of faith.”
In regards to the further statement in verse 10… most understand that Jesus is expanding his point to note that one may have temporal stages in understanding him as they sincerely seek to follow…but denying the very Spirit which is seeking to speak… is the ultimate witness which one; s denial can find no hope.
Scott L. Harris (Preventions for Hypocrisy). Notes:
This level of denial of Jesus is not without hope, for Nicodemus was at one time hesitant to acknowledge his beliefs about Jesus (John 7:50) later was bold about it (John 19:39). Peter verbally denied Jesus three times and even cursed on the night of Jesus’ trial (Luke 22:54-62), but later he is bold in publically proclaiming his belief and allegiance to Jesus and eventually died as a martyr. A denial in the past can be corrected by a confession in the present or future.
Jesus even states in verse 10, “And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven Him . . .” However, He also warns of a greater danger in the rest of the verse, 10 “. . . but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him.”
This is not the first time Jesus has given this warning. He said it in Mark 3:28-29 and Matthew 12:31-32, but in that case it immediately followed the Pharisees accusation that Jesus cast out a demon by the power of Beezebul. (See: The Danger of Blasphemy) In this passage it is more removed from the same false accusation by different people, so the same idea of attributing to the devil an obvious work of the Holy Spirit may be in view, but it is more general here. It is the conscious and wicked rejection of the work of the Holy Spirit to convict of sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:8). It is a final quenching of the Spirit after which there is no longer any means of repentance. The person may have remorse and regret like Judas, but there will not be repentance and therefore no means of faith and forgiveness. While we as humans will not be able to know when this has happened, the danger of continued rejection of the Holy Spirit’s work of conviction is real and dangerous. The time for repentance is now. Religious hypocrisy increases the danger of falling into this blasphemy.
Sometimes people worry if they have blasphemed against the Holy Spirit and have therefore committed a sin that is unforgivable. The mere fact that a person is worrying that he or she might have blasphemed against the Holy Spirit is an indication that he or she has not done so.
