Old Testament Reading: Psalm 86

“A PRAYER OF DAVID. Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Preserve my life, for I am godly; save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God. Be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all the day. Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you. Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace. In the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you answer me. There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours. All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God. Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever. For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol. O God, insolent men have risen up against me; a band of ruthless men seeks my life, and they do not set you before them. But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant, and save the son of your maidservant. Show me a sign of your favor, that those who hate me may see and be put to shame because you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.” (Psalm 86, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Luke 12:4-7

“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.” (Luke 12:4–7, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

1. Introduction
   1. God’s word is amazing. I can’t tell you how often that thought comes to my mind when studying the Scriptures in preparation for preaching. God’s word is amazing. Luke’s gospel is amazing. And I particularly appreciate this portion of Luke’s gospel. 
   2. In the introduction to the previous sermon, I drew your attention to the fact that in Luke 12:1-53 Christ has his attention fixed on his disciples – the 12 Apostles and probably the 70 others as well. Luke 12:1 says, “In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, ‘Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy’”, etc.  
   3. Why did Christ focus his attention on his disciples? Did he not care about the great multitudes that came to see him and to hear his teaching? Yes, he cared for others besides the 12 and the 70, but it was the will and way of Christ to minister to the multitudes – yes, eventually to all nations – through his Apostles and other eyewitness. And so, while Christ often ministered to the multitudes, he especially poured into the 12 and the 70, for they would be his witnesses and special ambassadors. These men would take the gospel to all nations. These would establish churches. These would see to it that elders were appointed in every place. As you probably know, Luke’s second volume, the book of The Acts Of The Apostles, tells that story. We should not be surprised, therefore, to hear that Christ focused his attention on his disciples,
   4. Here in Luke 12:1-53, he instructs his disciples to prepare them for the work they would soon be called to do. As I said in the previous sermon, I think it is right to see these teachings as being for all Christians, but especially for leaders within Christ’s church. Here Christ warns against the danger of hypocrisy, the fear of man, covetousness, anxiety over the cares of this world, inattentiveness (irresponsibility), and people-pleasing. These heart sins are a danger to all Christians, but especially pastors and elders within Christ’s church. These are temptations that threaten to render all Christians, and especially ministers of the gospel, ineffective and unfruitful, if not worse.   
   5. As you know, Christ began by warning against hypocrisy. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy”, Christ said. We considered the sin of hypocrisy in the previous sermon. I cannot take the time to review all that was said in that sermon about hypocrisy. Perhaps a few bullet points will help to jog the memory of those who were present to hear that sermon and provide a sufficient foundation for those who were not so that we can get on with our text for today.
      1. One, a hypocrite is two-faced. A hypocrite does not live one life, but two or more. They love the praise of man and to appear righteous in public, but in reality, their hearts are filled with wickedness. The Pharisees were notorious for their hypocrisy. Christ confronted them about this, saying, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you” (Luke 11:39–41, ESV).
      2. Two, hypocrisy is, at its core, a heart problem. What the hypocrite needs is not better behavior, but a renewed heart, mind, and will. It is not the good and holy behavior in public that makes the hypocrite a hypocrite, but the fact that the good behavior in public is nothing more than a mask used to conceal a corrupted heart, words, and deeds.   
      3. Three, Jesus Christ is the only real solution to hypocrisy. Christ gives his elect a new mind and heart to make them willing and able to believe in him. Christ forgives his people and cleanses them from all unrighteousness. And Christ sanctifies and renews his people further by his word and Spirit so that they actually make progress in holiness. You see, the cleansing and transformation that Christ brings does not start with the outside, but the inside. The behavior of the true Christian changes, not because of self-effort, but because of inward renewal worked by God’s Word and Spirit. Yes, true Christians still sin, but this does not make them hypocrites. When Christians sin, it will grieve them to the heart, lead to true repentance, and further the progress of sanctification in them. Furthermore, no true Christian claims to be self-righteous in the way that the Pharisees did. True followers of Christ readily admit that are not righteous, in themselves, but stand in need of God’s grace and of a Savior. We stand right before God only because God has washed us in the blood of Christ, has clothed us in Christ’s rightousness, and is sanctifying us further by his Word and Spirit. 
   6. But this does not mean that the sin of hypocrisy is not a danger to the Christian.  If it were not a danger, then why did Christ warn his disciples about it? Hypocrisy is indeed a danger to all of us. There are many ways in which our hearts can be drawn away from a single-minded devotion to Christ, leading to a hypocritical, clean-on-the-outside, but filthy-on-the-inside, way of life.
   7. I’ve taken the time to review what was said in the previous sermon about hypocrisy for a reason. I do believe that the passage that is open before us today (Luke 12:4-7) along with the following passages (through Luke 12:53) all have relation to the warning of Luke 12:1: “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” In other words, after warning his disciples against the sin of hypocrisy, Christ goes on to warn against several sins of the heart which, if allowed to remain, will lead to a hypocritical life.
      1. The fear of man, if allowed to remain in the heart, will lead to a compromised and hypocritical walk (Luke 12:4-12). 
      2. The sin of covetousness, if allowed to remain in the heart, will lead to a compromised and hypocritical walk (Luke 12:13-21). 
      3. The sin of fear and anxiety over the cares of this world, if allowed to remain in the heart, will lead to a compromised and hypocritical walk (Luke 12:22-34). 
      4. The sin of inattentiveness or negligence, if allowed to remain in the heart, will lead to a compromised and hypocritical walk (Luke 12:35-48). 
      5. And finally, the sin of people-pleasing, if allowed to remain in the heart, will lead to a compromised and hypocritical walk (Luke 12:35-48).
         1. Admittedly, these passages that I have previewed all stand very nicely on their own, but I do believe they all relate back to the warning about hypocrisy. 
   8. It is not at all surprising that the very first heart-sin that Christ addressed is the fear of man. The fear of man has, no doubt, caused many professing Christians to hesitate and even pull back from their devotion to Christ. Some who professed faith in Christ have even abandoned the faith because they allowed the sin of the fear of man to reside within their heart and consume them. 
   9. Fear is a very powerful emotion. It has the power to consume our thoughts, hijack our emotions, and drive the direction of our lives. 
   10. Here in our passage, Christ warns us about the danger of the fear of man, and he presents us with three remedies. 
2. Do not fear man
   1. Firstly, Christ commands his followers to have no fear of man because man’s ability to harm is limited.
      1. Look with me at Luke 12:4. There Christ says, “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do.” (Luke 12:4, ESV)
         1. Notice that Christ calls his disciples, friends. I think that is wonderful to consider. Christ is a friend to sinners. He is a friend to all who come to him by faith. And it is not we who make Christ our friend, but he who has makes us his. Christ calls his followers, friends. No doubt, his decision to call his disciples friends here was intentional. He is about to say something hard and challenging. Knowing that Jesus is our friend and that he cares for us as friends will strengthen us to receive these challenging words.
         2. When Christ says, “​​do not fear those who kill the body”, he means, have no fear of man. Do not fear man, is the general command. When Christ originally spoke these words to his disciples, he no doubt had the Pharisees, lawyers, and scribes in mind.
            1. Do not forget the predictions Christ made back in Luke 9 regarding how he would be treated by the religious leaders of the day.  He spoke to his disciples, saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised” (Luke 9:22, ESV).
            2. Do not forget about the conflict Christ had with the Pharisees and layers as recorded in Luke 11. He condemned them for their hypocrisy and pronounced many “woes” on them. Luke tells us, “As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things, lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say” (Luke 11:53–54, ESV).
            3. You are probably aware that these disciples of Jesus would suffer persecution and even martyrdom at the hands of these religious elites after Christ’s ascension to the Father.  
         3. It is no wonder that Christ addressed the problem of the fear of man first. If these disciples feared man and what men could do to them, they would not remain devoted to Christ for long. Very soon, the fear of man would drive them to act hypocritically as they sought to appease those with the power to persecute.
            1. Remember that the Apostle Peter slipped into hypocrisy on the night of Jesus’ arrest. A servant girl began to question his allegiance to Jesus. Peter, in a moment of weakness, was driven by the fear of man. He denied knowing Jesus, not once, not twice, but three times. And then the rooster crowed.  That story is told in Luke 22. Peter’s faith in Christ was true. The fear of man that resided in his heart drove him to put on the hypocritical mask of unbelief temporarily. Thankfully, he did remain in that state of hypocrisy. He repented and was restored.
         4. Brothers and sisters, fear is a very powerful motivator and it is very tightly linked to what we love. We fear what we love. Stated differently, we fear losing what we love. Fear will always drive us to take action to avoid losing that which we love.
            1. Now, there is an instinctual kind of fear. It is this instinctual kind of fear that moves you to run away when someone threatening approaches or to avoid certain activities and behaviors knowing that they might lead to your demise. Typically, it is perfectly good and right to listen to these instinctual fears and to seek to preserve your own life and the lives of others. In fact, I do believe the sixth of the Ten Commandments requires this. This is not the kind of fear that Christ is here addressing. 
            2. Instead, Christ is addressing a kind of fear that is deeply rooted in the heart and mind, everpresent, often unnoticed, and yet greatly impactful as it pertains to the direction of one’s life. This kind of fear (I’m not sure what to call it – convictional fear, maybe?) is not the same as the instinctual fear mentioned above. The emotion of instinctual fear will come on hard and strong to drive us either to fight or to flight when a threat arises. This other kind of fear, though often unnoticed, is always with us. And it is always determining the priorities and direction of our lives. 
            3. As I said just a moment ago, fear has a lot to do with love. The question, what or whom do you fear ultimately, and the question, what or whom do you love ultimately, will most likely receive the same answer. To give an obvious example, what do you think most people would say if you asked them the question, what do you fear most? If honest, I think most would say, death. And does this not reveal that the thing they love most is life on this earth? Some might say that losing their wealth is their greatest fear. Others might say the loss of their children. For others, it is the loss of their good reputation. And if the loss of these things is their greatest fear, does this not reveal that these things are their greatest love and treasure?   
         5. In the previous passage, Christ warned his disciples to beware of the Pharisees and the lawyers. Here he clarifies that they are not to be afraid of them. After all, Christ said, the worst thing they can do is kill you. 
            1. Let that statement sink in for a little. 
            2. Does the statement sound absurd to you? I’m sure it sounds absurd to most. Do not be afraid of man!? The worst they can do to you is kill you!? What do you mean!? But this is what Christ taught his disciples. We are to take him seriously.
            3. Think of the deeply held beliefs and convictions required to hold such a view: This life is not all there is. Death is not the end. There is something more and better for those who are friends of Jesus on the other side of the grave. The violent man – the persecutor of Christians –  can only do so much. He can defame your name, steal your possessions, throw you in prison, abuse you, and kill you. That’s all. The violent man cannot reach you beyond the grave. As pertains to love, the Christian must not love his life here on earth or the things of this world supremely. If he does, he will bristle at Christ’s command, “do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do.”
         6. Persecution has a way of exposing the sin of the fear of man in the heart. When a Christ-follower is pressed to choose between faithfulness to Christ and death, or faithfulness to Christ and beatings, or faithfulness to Christ and prison, if the fear of man is deeply rooted in their heart, they will quickly deny Christ to protect the thing they most love, namely their own life and their comfort here on earth.
            1. Not long ago, some of us gathered to read a biography on the 17th century Particular Baptist Pastor, John Bunyan. Did you know that man spent 12 years in prison? He was separated from his wife and children. He suffered under very harsh conditions. Why? Because he refused to stop preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ? If Bunyan had the fear man in his heart, he would not have lasted long in his devotion to Christ. Many others have remained faithful to Christ even to the point of death. These knew that “those who kill the body… have nothing more that they can do.”
         7. But it is not only physical persecution that exposes the sin of the fear of man in the heart. Sometimes professing Christians are driven much more easily by the fear of man into compromise and hypocrisy.
            1.  How many young people have acted one way while at church and in the home and another way while out with non-believing friends? What drives them to act hypocritically except for the fear of man? If is not something as heavy as death they fear. No, they fear that they will be made fun of, ridiculed, or disliked if they do not conform to the ways of the world. 
            2. How many businessmen have compromised as it pertains to their devotion to Christ teh Lord out of fear of losing income or a job?   
            3. How many pastors have held back from declaring the truth of God’s Word out of fear of losing members or a ministry?
            4. Need I go on? Fear is a powerful motivator. If there is the fear of man and of what man can do to you embedded in your heart, hypocrisy will soon follow. 
            5. And so Christ speaks to us, saying, “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do” (Luke 12:4, ESV).
   2. Secondly, Christ commands his followers to have no fear of man but to fear God instead.
      1. Look at verse 5. There Christ says, “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!”
         1. What are the remedies to the sin of the fear of man in the heart? Firstly, we must come to see and truly believe that man’s ability to do us harm is very limited. The worst thing man can do is kill the body! Secondly, we must replace the fear of man with the fear of God and Christ, for, on the last day, God will judge the world through Christ the Son. Man can only affect us in this life. Once we pass from this life, man can no longer reach us. But in the life to come, all will stand before God and Christ to be openly judged (or acquitted) for all eternity. Do not fear man. Fear God instead. 
         2. Perhaps you have heard it said that everyone loves someone or something supremely. Human beings can not not love. The question is, what do we love supremely? And the very same thing may be said about fear. Human beings cannot not fear. Every human being trembles at the thought of losing their greatest love. What (or whom) should we love supremely? We ought to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. And what (or whom) should we fear supremely? Our greatest fear ought to be the Lord, the thought of coming under his wrath, being cast into hell, away from his blessed presence forever, and judged by him for all eternity.
         3. You are probably familiar with Proverbs 1:7, which says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.” Proverbs 9:10 is similar: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” Why is the fear of the Lord called the beginning of knowledge and wisdom? Well, it is because the fear of the Lord is the first step towards a life lived according to true knowledge and wisdom. Before we can come to faith in Christ, be forgiven of all our sins, live for the glory of God, and enter into the blessed presence of God for all eternity, we must first believe that God exists and fear him.
            1. Many who fear the Lord run away from him. This is what those who are left in their sins will do. If they fear God, they will run from him because of their sin. 
            2. By God’s grace, some who fear the Lord will run towards him. This is what the elect of God who are regenerated and effectually called by God’s Word and Spirit will do. First, they will fear the Lord. After this, they will perceive that he is merciful, gracious, and kind. And seeing that God has provided a Savior, Christ the Lord, they will not flee from him, but towards the God they love and fear through faith in Christ Jesus.   
            3. Here in the text that is open before us, Christ warns his disciples  – his friends – not to fear man but to fear the Lord. This will produce within us a constant and faithful walk. Instead of living to please man and to preserve our lives here on earth, we will live to please God and to preserve our lives before him for all eternity through faith in Christ the Lord.         
   3. Thirdly, Christ commands his followers to have no fear of man knowing that God cares for them.
      1. Look with me at verse 6: “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” (Luke 12:6–7, ESV).
         1. Christ had just mentioned that man does have the ability to kill the body. Of course, this implied that the disciples of Christ would suffer persecution, even martyrdom,  at the hands of sinful and violent men. Here he comforts them by reassuring them that God will exercise a special kind of providential care over his people.
         2. Not a sparrow falls to the ground apart from the will of our Father in heaven (see also Matthew 10:29). Even the hairs of our head are numbered by God. In times of persecution, or when enduring suffering of various kinds, even the prospect of death, God’s people are sometimes tempted to think that God has abandoned and forgotten them. This is not true. God has promised never to leave us or forsake us (see Hebrews 13:5).
         3. So near is he to us that even the hairs on our heads are numbered. God does not forget or neglect the sparrows, as small and numerous as they are. And so Christ comforts his friends with these words: “Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.”  
3. Conclusion
   1. Christ is the only real solution to hypocrisy.
      1. We must be regenerated and enabled to believe in Christ.
      2. Christ justifies sinners. 
      3. Christ sanctifies sinners. 
   2. Sanctification is that it is a work that must be done inwardly in the mind and heart and not merely externally in the realm of words and deeds.
      1.  Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…”
      2. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” 
      3. This is why our catechism says, “Sanctification is the work of God’s free grace whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.” Before we can truly put to death sinful deeds and actions, we must put to death sinful thoughts and emotions. 
      4. Stated negatively, those who attempt to change the way they speak and act while neglecting the renewal of the mind and heart will inevitably slip into hypocrisy. Or to use the language of Christ from Luke 11, do not merely clean the outside of the cup, but by God grace and through faith in Christ, clean the inside of the cup also. If the inside of the cup is clean, then all will be clean.