MUB
2-20-05
LUKE 12;1-12
1Meanwhile, 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. 2There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 3What 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. 5But 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. 6Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies£? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7Indeed, 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. 9But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God. 10And 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, 12for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say."
IF WE WERE TO TAKE A SURVEY TODAY, AND ASK THE QUESTION, WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CRITICISM OF THE CHURCH, WE WOULD HEAR ANSWERS LIKE THESE; ALL THEY CARE ABOUT IS MONEY, THEY’RE NOT FRIENDLY, THEY ARE CLASS CONSCIOUS, THERE ARE CERTAINLY OTHERS, BUT, I BELIEVE THERE IS ONE THAT IS EVEN BIGGER. HOLD ON, AND I WILL TELL YOU IN A MINUTE. AS WE OPEN THIS PASSAGE UP, WE WILL SEE SOME SHARP WARNINGS, SOME OF THE THOU SHALT NOTS, AND IN CONTRAST, WE WILL ALSO SEE SOME VERY POSITIVE WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT.
A CROWD OF SEVERAL THOUSAND HAVE GATHERED AROUND JESUS, SO MANY THAT THEY ARE TRAMPLING ONE ANOTHER. EVERYONE WANTS TO HEAR THIS TEACHER. PEOPLE PUSH AND CROWD TO HEAR AND TO SEE BETTER. AS THE CROWD MOVES CLOSER, JESUS BEGINS TO SPEAK.
HE SPEAKS FIRST TO HIS CLOSEST FOLLOWERS, THE DISCIPLES. THESE WERE THE ONES WHO WOULD CARRY OUT THE WORK. THEY NEEDED TO HEAR HIS INSTRUCTIONS.
JESUS BEGINS BY GIVING HIS FIRST WORDS OF WARNING. THESE ARE VERY PERSONAL IN NATURE. BE ON YOUR GUARD. THIS RELATES TO SELF EXAMINATION. THIS IS LOOKING IN THE MIRROR, CAREFUL EXAMINATION. DO IT CONSTANTLY, ALWAYS BE ON YOUR GUARD. CONSTANTLY CHECK THIS.
I MAKE SURE MY OIL IS CHANGED EVERY 3,000 MILES, I AM VERY CAREFUL ABOUT THIS. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I AM NOT AS CAREFUL ABOUT IS, CHECKING MY OIL BETWEEN. I KNOW I SHOULD BE MORE CAREFUL, BUT I’M NOT. JESUS IS SAYING, PAY CAREFUL ATTENTION TO THIS CHECK. NOT OF OIL, BUT OF THE YEAST OF THE PHARISEES. YEAST IS VERY SMALL, HARDLY NOTICEABLE , BUT THAT LITTLE BIT OF YEAST RAISES THE WHOLE LOAF.
HAVE YOU EVER DONE SOMETHING WRONG, AND THOUGHT, ITS ONLY A LITTLE SIN. ITS KIND OF LIKE THE CAMEL STICKING HIS NOSE IN THE TENT. HE STARTS WITH THE NOSE, BUT IF NOT STOPPED, THE WHOLE CAMEL IS IN, AND WHEN HE IS IN, YOU GET PUSHED OUT. THAT LITTLE BIT, IS ALL IT TAKES.
THIS YEAST THAT JESUS SPEAKS OF, IS HYPOCRISY. WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CRITICISM OF THE CHURCH? I BELIEVE ITS THIS, THE CHURCH IS FULL OF HYPOCRITES. SADLY, THE WORLD IS NOT ENTIRELY WRONG ON THIS. EVERY ONE OF US, PASTOR INCLUDED, SOMETIMES ACT LIKE HYPOCRITES. BUT, GUESS WHAT, THE WORLD IS FULL OF HYPOCRITES AS WELL.
IF I USED THE SAME LOGIC AS THE WORLD USES, IN THIS REGARD, I WOULD QUIT SHOPPING AT WAL-MART, KROGERS, MEIJERS, EVERY SINGLE STORE THAT IS OPEN, BECAUSE, THEY HAVE HYPOCRITES WORKING THERE.. I WOULDN’T GO TO THE HOSPITAL, BECAUSE THEY HAVE HYPOCRITES IN THERE. I WOULDN’T SEND MY KIDS TO SCHOOL BECAUSE, THERE ARE HYPOCRITES IN THE SCHOOLS.
THIS WORD ORIGINALLY CAME FROM THE PLAYS AND THE ACTORS. GREEK AND ROMAN ACTORS WOULD SPEAK INTO LARGE MASKS WITH MECHANICAL DEVICES TO CHANGE THE FORCE OF THE VOICE. THE ACTOR BECAME SOMEONE OTHER THAN WHO HE REALLY WAS. TO PLAY A PART.
JESUS IS SAYING, DON’T PRETEND TO BE SOMETHING YOU ARENT. WE THE CHURCH ARE FULLY AWARE THAT WE HAVE HYPOCRITES, BUT HERE IS THE DIFFERENCE. WE ARE TRYING TO CHANGE, TO CORRECT OUR SIN. WHEN WE CATCH OURSELVES IN HYPOCRISY, WE GO TO GOD AND ASK HIS FORGIVENESS.
SECOND WARNING. THERE IS NOTHING CONCEALED. EVERYTHING WILL BE MADE KNOWN. (ILLUS.) WHEN I WAS 12 OR 13, I HAD THESE FRIENDS WHO LIVED OUT IN THE COUNTRY, AND I WENT TO VISIT THEM. THEY HAD A METAL BARN, NO WINDOWS, AND THEY SAY TO ME, LETS GO OUT TO THE BARN. WHEN WE GET THERE, THEY HAVE HIDDEN A PACK OF CIGARETTES. HERE TRY ONE. THEY LIGHT IT UP. THE BARN IS NOT 100 FEET FROM THE HOUSE, WHERE OUR PARENTS ARE SETTING. AND I AM ABSOLUTELY CONVINCED THAT MY MOTHER HAS EYES LIKE SUPERMAN, SHE CAN SEE THRU STEEL. I TAKE ONE DRAG, THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE, SCARED TO DEATH I WOULD GET CAUGHT, AND GAVE IT TO MY FRIEND. I NEVER REALIZED THAT CIGARETTES HAVE A SMELL. WE DIDN’T GET CAUGHT, BUT I WAS SURE WE WOULD.
EVERYTHING WILL BE MADE KNOWN. I DON’T THINK WE SHOULD USE THIS IN THE NEGATIVE SENSE, OF GOD IS WATCHING EVERYTHING YOU DO, AND RECORDING IT ALL, SO THAT HE CAN CATCH YOU DOING SOMETHING WRONG.
RATHER THINK ABOUT IT LIKE THIS. IF THERE WAS A VIDEO CAMERA RECORDING YOUR EVERY WORD AND ACTION, EVEN EVERY THOUGHT, HOW DO YOU THINK YOU MIGHT ACT OR SAY DIFFERENTLY? FOR INSTANCE, WHAT IF I HAD THE ABILITY TO RECORD YOU THIS WEEK, AND NEXT SUNDAY YOU COME TO CHURCH AND INSTEAD OF MY PREACHING, WE JUST RAN YOUR VIDEO. WOULD THERE BE MINUTES, OR HOURS, OR EVEN DAYS, THAT YOU WOULD WANT ERASED. CONSIDER THIS, THE NEXT TIME YOU FACE TEMPTATION, ASK YOURSELF, DO I REALLY WANT THAT ON MY TAPE? YOU MAY BE THINKING, MAN, WHAT ABOUT ALL THAT STUFF THAT’S ALREADY ON MY TAPE? HOLD ON, THERE’S GOOD NEWS, THERE’S STILL HOPE.
THIRD WARNING, THIS IS BOTH A WARNING AND ENCOURAGEMENT. REMEMBER, JESUS IS FIRST SPEAKING TO THE DISCIPLES. ALL BUT JOHN, DIE A VIOLENT DEATH, FOR THEIR FAITH. THESE WORDS WILL COME BACK TO THEM WHEN THEY FACE DEATH. DO NOT FEAR THOSE WHO KILL THE BODY AND CAN DO NO MORE. FEAR HIM, WHO HAS THE POWER TO THROW YOU INTO HELL. GOD IS LOVING. GOD IS ALSO JUST. GOD WILL HAND OUT THE PUNISHMENT. IT IS GODS JOB TO DO SO. THE REVERENTIAL FEAR OF GOD WILL INSPIRE A CONSTANT CAREFULNESS IN DEALING WITH OTHERS IN HIS FEAR.
HERE IS THE PROMISE, EVEN SPARROWS WHO DIE ARE REMEMBERED BY GOD. EVEN THE HAIRS OF YOUR HEAD ARE NUMBERED, SOME OF US DON’T REACH A VERY HIGH NUMBER. DON’T BE AFRAID, YOU ARE WORTH FAR MORE THAN A SPARROW.
VS 8, "WHOEVER CONFESSES ME BEFORE MEN, THE SON OF GOD WILL CONFESS BEFORE GOD. ROMANS 10;9-10, IF YOU CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH, JESUS IS LORD, AND BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, YOU WILL BE SAVED. FOR IT IS WITH YOUR HEART THAT YOU BELIEVE AND ARE JUSTIFIED. AND IT IS WITH YOUR MOUTH THAT YOU CONFESS AND ARE SAVED."
JESUS WANTS YOU TO PUBLICALLY CONFESS THAT HE IS LORD. THIS IS NOT CONFESSION OF YOUR SINS, IT IS TO ACKNOWLEDGE WHO JESUS IS. THIS IS THE SAME STATEMENT THAT PETER MADE TO JESUS, "YOU ARE THE CHRIST, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD." SCRIPTURE SAYS, THERE IS A DAY COMING, WHEN EVERY KNEE WILL BOW AND EVERY TONGUE CONFESS, THAT JESUS CHRIST IS LORD." YOU CAN EITHER DO IT NOW, WILLING, OR YOU WILL DO IT IN JUDGMENT, BUT IF YOU WAIT, IT WILL BE TOO LATE.
JESUS ADDS A WARNING TO THIS. IF YOU DISOWN ME BEFORE MAN, YOU WILL BE DISOWNED BEFORE GOD. BOTH JUDAS AND PETER ARE PRESENT, THESE WORDS MUST HAVE COME BACK TO THEM.
FINALLY, JESUS OFFERS A PROMISE. WHEN YOU ARE BROUGHT BEFORE, THE SYNAGOGUES, THE RULERS, AUTHORITIES, NOTICE HE SAYS, WHEN, IT WILL HAPPEN, THIS IS NOT A IF, BUT A CERTAINTY. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, DO NOT WORRY, ABOUT HOW YOU WILL DEFEND YOURSELF, OR WHAT YOU WILL SAY.
THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL GIVE YOU THE WORDS.
