Introduction
There are things that all of us fear. What may cause me fear might not be what causes you fear and vice versa.
Last night we were visiting with some folks and were reminiscing a bit about one of the fear inducing and adrenaline pumping experiences we had - bungee jumping.
Fear, whether it’s real or imagined, has the ability to paralyze us or cause us to make unwise or irrational decisions. It can be accompanied by all sorts of baggage and can load us down with dread.
Fear is a powerful thing. When people in authority wield their power in a way that invokes fear, it is intimidating and life stealing. As we will see today, this was the environment in which Jesus and his disciples lived.
Background
Last week, we got to learn a bit from Jesus as He both scolds the Pharisees and religious lawyers and then encourages His own followers to beware of the hypocrisy that permeates people like leaven does through dough. For the disciples, the religious leaders could have been intimidating people. They wielded their authority with a heavy hammer and could intimidate people into submission.
And yet, right on the heels of warning his disciples not to follow their hypocritical examples, Jesus urges them not to fear other humans - no matter what role they play.
Let’s look at Luke 12:4-12. If you’re a bit unfamiliar with the Bible, Luke is in the back half of the bible. The table of contents at the front will give you the page number for the book - then look for the large numbers as chapter numbers and the small numbers as verses.
Luke 12:4–12 ESV
“I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.
“And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
It seems like if we were to narrow down what Jesus is saying here it’s that: In the face of fear and intimidation, Christians are called to find courage in the assurance of the Holy Spirit’s presence and empowerment, which enables them to boldly witness for Christ and assures them of their value in God’s eyes.
As we walk through this passage, we’ll learn for things from Jesus:
a perspective on persecution (4-5)
that we are priceless in God’s eyes (6-7)
that we can proclaim with courage (8-9)
that we have protection through the Spirit as he provides words for us in the face of persecution (10-12)
Jesus begins by providing for us a proper…
Perspective on Persecution (4-5)
Authoritative people can be intimidating, invoking fear in any who would defy them. We don’t have to look very far to see and hear about authoritative people in our society or around the world.
Jesus here provides a bit of perspective in that He helps us to subtly see that there is more to life than simply life - there is an eternity to deal with. In light of eternity, no one on earth can intimidate that away from you.
As we read earlier, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego faced the authoritative whims of Nebuchadnezzar. They did not count bowing down to this statue as a worthy sacrifice for their lives, their integrity, or their devotion for God. They stood firm and God was glorified through that.
In Psalm 91, the Psalmist reflects on the security and safety with which God provides to those who are His - no fear is needed.
Psalm 91:1–7 ESV
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
I was reading recently in Jonathan Leeman’s book on Authority about a pregnant mother of a two-year old who was imprisoned by some religious zealots in her country. They threatened her and her child with their lives unless she recanted her faith in Jesus Christ. She stood firm for her faith and did not fear the death they offered because Jesus has already purchased her life for eternity.
Here in the states, we don’t need to fear for our lives very often - and yet how often do we fear the opinions of others and being out of step with cultural norms? How often do we express our fear by shying away from opportunities to speak up for our faith?
Jesus’ admonition here is a bit comical and sarcastic from one standpoint. His point is that we should not fear those who can ONLY do things to us in this life - whether taking our lives physically or making our lives difficult. It’s as though He’s saying - “It’s only life, it’s not eternity.”
Instead, our fear should be appropriately directed toward the one who holds our eternal destination. Twice, Jesus reminds us to “fear Him.” But what does that look like or mean? Should we cower in the face of Divine intimidation? Should we gravel for mercy before His presence?
I don’t think that’s the attitude that Jesus is calling for us. I think Jesus is calling us to fear God - both reverent awe and recognition of His holiness AND because of our fallenness. His holiness and justice require payment for our sin. His love and mercy wrap all of that up in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
In that, we truly get to see, secondly, that we are
Priceless in God’s Eyes (6-7)
Hear that more personally - you are priceless in God’s eyes. You are treasured. You matter to God.
God knows what’s happening with His creation. Jesus notes that the smallest sparrow has His attention. They may have only valued 5 sparrows for two pennies, but God cares for them. I can imagine that God delights as they rapidly flap their wings several times before pulling their wings in and falling a bit. Their flight pattern seems to undulate like waves on the sea. He revels in their squeaky songs.
As if to ramp up the minute care that God has for you and me, Jesus notes that even our hairs are numbered. God knows how many fewer I have today than I did yesterday - His job is getting a lot easier with me.
Jesus’ argument is a simple one - if God cares about the sparrows that were cheap to purchase and cares about the numbers of hairs on our head - which changes daily - then he finds much more value and places much more care for you and me. Because of this care, this value that God places on your life - Jesus commands that we should “fear not.”
So what is it? To fear or not to fear, that is the question!
I think it comes down to both.
Fear God - in reverent awe and humble submission - because He will ultimately judge your life.
Fear Not - because you are so valuable to Him. Let me remind you of a couple of things:
John 3:16–17 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
Fear and fear not.
Romans 5:8 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Fear and fear not.
Romans 8:32 “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”
Fear and fear not.
You are treasured! You are loved! You matter to God!
Mike McKinley wrote one of the commentaries that I’ve been referencing as we’ve walked through the book of Luke, but he also wrote a little book that I received recently called Friendship with God. In his chapter entitled “Treasured,” McKinley quotes the Puritan John Owen in order to provide for us a helpful perspective regarding just how treasured we are by God.
“He (referring to Jesus) parted with the greatest glory, he underwent the greatest misery, he does the greatest works there ever were, because he loves his spouse - because he values believers.” (McKinley, 68).
As Christians, people of His church, you and I are His bride, His spouse. You and I matter to God. We are priceless in His eyes.
If you are discouraged and downcast - let that sink in!
Students, when you feel like your classmates are mean and cruel and won’t give you the time of day - you are treasured by Jesus. Do not fear them, pray for them, but do not fear.
Singles, when your peers are intimidating you into doing things that you know are not exemplary of Christ or you fear that you are not keeping up - remember - Jesus died for you - He loves and treasures you. Do not fear them.
Beloved, when you are discouraged by your spiritual growth or by friction at home or at work, remember you are loved by God. You are priceless.
There was an old chorus that we used to sing when I was growing up that is a helpful reminder of this truth.
Oh how He loves you and me.
He gave His life, what more could He give.
Oh how He loves you.
Oh how He loves me.
Oh how He loves you and me.
So, Jesus provides for us a healthy perspective on persecution, reminding us that eternity is at stake. He then reminds us just how valuable we are to God.
With those to truths in hand, Jesus urges us to demonstrate our lack of fear by…
Proclaiming with Courage (8-9)
Jesus encourages us to live fearlessly by proclaiming boldly about our allegiance to Him - reminding us that what we profess here, will be professed before the throne of God.
Luke 12:8–9 “And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God.”
This proclamation begins with a…
confession unto salvation.
Romans 10:9–10 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
Now, this is more than simply a declaration. This proclamation is an acknowledgement of our own sinfulness and unworthiness. It’s an acknowledgement of our need for salvation and that salvation is found only in Jesus Christ.
Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Secondly, this proclamation is also a public
profession of faith in the practice of baptism.
Bobby Jamieson, in his little booklet entitled Why Should I Be Baptized? notes that
“baptism is a visible, tangible, public, and dramatic expression of faith in Christ. It’s obvious memorable datable. You get soaked, and everyone present sees you disappear under the water and reappear up out of the water. That’s why Paul singles out baptism as a sign of conversion.”
Paul writes in Colossians 2:11–12 “In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.”
When we come to faith in Christ we confess our need for salvation in Jesus alone. When we respond in baptism, we then go public with our faith in that one moment in time - acknowledging Jesus Christ before a congregation of people.
my baptism at Forcey Memorial Church when I was around 12.
my kids’ baptisms at First Baptist Rockville
these are now moments in time imbedded in my memory but also in theirs and in the memory of the congregation. These become markers by which we can all recall together and remind each other of that public profession.
together we witnessed Alec go public on Mother’s day.
Aiden Ryals October 30, 2022
Amy Deitrick and Grace Mureithi - 9/18/22
Francis and Michael Mureithi - August 18, 2019
The Bass family shared with us a video of some baptisms that took place at their fellowship on Friday - including Nadine!
Do you remember when you went public with your faith? If so, let me encourage you to talk about it with your family or friends today at lunch.
If you’ve not professed Christ through baptism, let me encourage you to start the process - grab one of the books on the book nook about it. I’d be happy to have a conversation with you about it.
But as believers - our acknowledgment of Christ before humans involves our salvation and baptism, but it also involves…
incidental and intentional proclamation.
These are those times when we let our faith be known - both on purpose and in those periodic moments that come up from time to time.
Incidental proclamation may come in those opportunities to respond to questions about the hope or joy that we have.
Intentional proclamation may look like offering a prayer over a meal with colleagues or inviting someone to join you at church or FCA.
Incidental proclamation may pop up when you are decline an invitation to a certain event because you know it runs counter to biblical values.
Intentional proclamation may mean inviting a friend to read scripture with you over the course of a couple of weeks - discussing a few verses or chapters at a time.
Incidental proclamation might look like offering to pray for that colleague who is facing marital challenges at home.
Intentional proclamation might look like asking that colleague if he or she has considered what God has to say about marriage.
We could go on and on speculating about what incidental and intentional might look like. The question is, will we overcome our fear of others in order to proclaim the goodness and grace of God with courage?
Jesus even gives us a bit of help there, noting that we will have…
Protection through the Spirit (10-12)
Let’s look again at the final verses:
Luke 12:10–12 “And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
Frankly, Jesus says some things here that have confounded even the most intelligent of theologians. What does it mean to be forgiven for speaking against the Son of Man but unforgiven for blaspheming against the Holy Spirit? Are there really sins that can’t be forgiven?
Before we come to faith - you and I may do any number of things to speak a word against Jesus, and yet, when we come to a point of conviction and confess our need for Jesus, we will be forgiven.
However, when the Holy Spirit begins to move in us, to woo us to Christ, if we reject that invitation from the Spirit then we are essentially rejecting God’s grace. We are essentially blaspheming the Spirit.
Now, frankly there is a dilemma here - who is responsible for our salvation? Is it God or is it us? Reformed theologians talk about the irresistible nature of God’s grace, which means that when the Spirit calls, we can’t help but respond. It’s as though we are pulled into faith and into salvation like a sort of spiritual gravity - we can’t see it but we feel it’s effects.
On the other hand, just as Adam and Eve were given a choice to love and obey God, there seems to be that element of volition in God’s economy. He will not force us to come to Him.
This is one of the great mysteries that we’ll get to discuss when Jesus returns.
But I do wonder as well, if this comment about blaspheming the Spirit relates to something we touched on last week and something we’ll see in coming weeks. Jesus noted that the religious lawyers had the keys to knowledge and yet hindered people from attaining that knowledge and did not use it themselves (12:52). Later on in this chapter we’ll get to witness some opportunities that had been placed before the religious leaders to determine who the Son of Man is - essentially to take all of their knowledge and put the pieces of the puzzle together - and yet they refuse.
But there is another element to this that as believers in Christ we experience protection through the Spirit. Jesus again reminds us not to fear when people make accusations against us or call us to give an account. He reminds us that the Spirit will equip us and guide us. The Spirit will provide for us exactly what to say.
Have you ever had those moments when you are in a conversation with someone and you sense in your soul that you should speak up for Christ about something or make a comment a certain way? I have. I think that is the Spirit of God providing what we should say. I wish I could say that I always obey that impression.
I guess the question really becomes, are we paying attention to the Holy Spirit? Are we tuned in to how He is leading us? Are we making our words instruments in His hands as we interact with others and respond to questions?
Closing thoughts
Beloved, we may not face the heavy-handed intimidation of the religious leaders that our first century brothers and sisters faced. We may not even face the intimidation that some of our brothers and sisters face around the world - where their lives have been put on the line for their beliefs. But we can face persecution and intimidation in others ways. To that, Jesus reminds us to have a proper perspective on persecution - it’s only life, it’s not eternity. Because God loves you so much and saved you for eternity - do not fear them, but instead proclaim your hope in Christ, knowing that you walk with the protection of the Holy Spirit - as he will provide you what to say.
Let’s pray.
Questions for reflection and discussion
Read: Luke 12:4-12
What individuals or groups are most feared in our society?
In what situations have you had to stand before someone with considerable authority over you?
What did Jesus say His disciples should and should not fear? (12:4–5)
What proofs of God’s care did Jesus offer to His disciples? (12:6–7)
How was the disciples’ loyalty to Jesus linked to Jesus’ loyalty to them? (12:8–9)
What was to happen to those who speak against the Son of Man? (12:10)
What sin could not be forgiven? (12:10)
How much were the disciples to prepare for their encounters with religious and political authorities? (12:11)
How were the disciples to know what to say? (12:12) Have you experienced anything like that?
Sources:
Anyabwile, Thabiti. Exalting Jesus in Luke. Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2018.
Bock, Darrell L. Luke 9:51-24:53. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999.
Jamieson, Bobby Why should I be baptized? Wheaton, IL. Crossway, 2020
Martin, John A. “Luke.” In The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, edited by J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985.
McKinley, Mike. Luke 1–12 for You. Edited by Carl Laferton. God’s Word for You. The Good Book Company, 2016.
McKinley, Mike Friendship with God: A Path to Deeper Fellowship with the Father, Son and Spirit. Wheaton, IL. Crossway, 2023.
The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press, 2005. Print.
Wilcock, Michael. The Savior of the World: The Message of Luke’s Gospel. The Bible Speaks Today. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1979.
