Jul 24
21

Sermon: True Remedies For An Anxious Heart, Luke 12:22-34

Old Testament Reading: Jeremiah 17:5–10

New Testament Reading: Luke 12:22-34

“And he said to his disciples, ‘Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. ‘Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.’” (Luke 12:22–34, ESV)

*****

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.

Introduction
1. We live in a very anxious age. I suppose we could spend all of our time theorizing as to why so many are plagued by anxiety today. Perhaps it has something to do with the pace of our lives. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that we are constantly bombarded with troubling news. Truth be told, I think it has a lot to do with the condition of the modern man’s soul. As our society grows more and more secular and less and less godfearing, it is not surprising to see that anxious hearts abound.
2. The world does offer some relief.
  1. If you were to look up remedies for anxiety on the internet I’m sure you would learn that breathing techniques can help calm the anxious mind. Someone recently told me that if you take 12 deep breaths in and out and hold the 13th as long as you can, it will help the brain to shift from the Beta wave frequency into the calmer Alpha wave frequency. That is good to know.
  2. A healthy diet is also important. Exercise is important too. And do not forget about the importance of getting adequate sleep. We must take care of our bodies. And we should not forget that the body and mind are connected.
  3. And of course, the world will also offer medication. You should know that I am not entirely opposed to medication. In some circumstances, it can be helpful. I am concerned that we overmedicate though.
  4. The thing that I want you to see about these remedies offered by the world is that they are useful for managing and masking the symptoms of anxiety. Now, I do not mean to suggest that these remedies are useless. If you are feeling anxious, it might help you to take a series of deep breaths, cut back on the caffeine and sugar intake, and get some exercise. If the anxiety is out of control to the point of being debilitating, perhaps medication should be considered, but I would urge you to proceed with caution. Nevertheless, I do believe my observation is true. While these remedies may help to manage and mask the symptoms of anxiety, they do not get to the heart of the matter.
3. But Christ gets to the heart of the matter in the passage that is open before us today.
  1. My question for you is, will you listen to Christ concerning your anxiety? You’ll listen to your doctor, your psychologist, or your psychiatrist. But will you listen to Christ?
  2. Need I remind you that Christ is your Creator? The person of Christ is the second person of the Triune God, the one through whom all thing were made (see Hebrews 1:2). Christ is the Creator, yes, even of your body and soul.
  3. And need I remind you that Christ is your Redeemer? He is the eternal Son of God incarnate. The Son assumed a true human nature, body and soul, for us and for our salvation. He can sympathize with our weakness, therefore. He was tempted in every way that we are, yet without sin. And he assumed a true human nature, body and soul, to redeem and heal our corrupted natures.
  4. If there is anyone you should listen to regarding your anxiety, it is Christ, your Creator and Redeemer, the great physician of your body and soul.
  5. So, let us listen to Christ as he warns his disciples of the heart-sin of anxiety and presents us with precieous remedies – remidies that do not merly mask or enable us to manage the symptoms of anxiety, but remidies that address the very heart and root of the anxious thoughts and feelings that plague our souls.
Exposition of Luke 12:22-34
1. In Luke 12:22, Christ commands his disciples to be not anxious. The command: “Do not be anxious…”, Christ says. The Greek word is in the imperative mood. It is a command that we are to obey. This indicates that we have responsibility in this matter. This indicates that we have choices to make and the freedom to make those choices. “Do not be anxious…”, Christ says.
  1. What is anxiety?
    1. The first thing to acknowledge is that is an inward thing. Anxiety is a condition of the mind and heart. It effects the body, yes. When we are anxious, our brian fires rapidly, our heart races, and our chest tightens. And anxiety in the mind and heart will certainly impact our actions. But anxiety, properly speaking, is a condition of the soul.
    2. So the theme continues in this section of Luke’s gospel. Christ is here addressing matters of the heart and mind with his disciples. He has warned against hypocrisy, the fear of man, the fear of persecution, and covetousness – all of which are matters of the heart. Here Christ warns against anxiety.
    3. Anxiety is more than a reasonable and responsible concern.
      1. Anxiety is concern accentuated by worry.
      2. Anxiety is concern mingled with fear and apprehension.
      3. Are there things in this life that you should be concerned about? Yes, of course.
        
        A husband and father, for example, should be concerned to provide for his family and to protect them from physical and spiritual harm. This reasonable concern should result in responsible action. But a husband and father must not be anxious, that is to say, plagued by worry.
        
        A pastor should be concerned for the church over which God has made him an overseer. This reasonable concern should result in responsible action. But a pastor must not be anxious, that is to say, plagued by worry.
        
        A mother should be concerned for the physical and spiritual wellbeing of her children. Again I say, this reasonable concern should result in responsible action. But a Christian mother should not be anxious, that is to say, plagued by worry.
      4. While reasonable concern will move us to responsible action, anxiety is a debilitating distraction. Anxiety in the mind and heart will hold a Christian back from living the life that God has caled them to live. It is no wonder that Christ warned his disciples about the heart sin of anxiety. If allowed to remain in the heart, anxiety will distract us from what matters most and consume our lives, rendering us fruitless and ineffective.
  2. What is the thing Christ forbids us from being anxious about?
    1. Two things: our inner spiritual life, and our outer physical life.
    2. In verse 22 Christ speaks to us, saying, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on” (Luke 12:22, ESV).
      1. The Greek word translated as “life” is Ψυχή. It means “soul”.
      2. The Greek word translated as “body is Σῶμα. This is a reference to our physical bodies.
      3. When we think of our life or existence it is right for us to think of these two things: human beings have bodies and souls. When the body dies the soul lives on. On the last day, our bodies will be raised and reunited with our souls to be either judged by Christ or openly acquitted, if we are united to him by faith.
      4. Here Christ teaches that we are not to be anxious about our Ψυχή – our souls – that is to say, our inner life. And he mentions food. Why does Christ mention food as if food is the thing that sustains the soul and not the body? I think the reason is this. Food (and drink) is what we take in for the sustenance of life. Food functions as an apt metaphor, therefore, for that which sustains the inner life of man. So, Christ commands us to not be anxious about our life, what we will eat.
      5. And neither are we to be anxious about our bodies, what we will put on. The soul appears to need food. And what does the body need? Most fundamentally, the body needs to be clothed. And so Christ says, do not be anxious about the life of your body, nor about what is necessary for its sustenance.
      6. And then Christ explains, saying, “For life is more than food and the body more than clothing.” I believe the meaning is this: the sustenance of the life of the soul requires more than food and the sustenance of the life of the body requires more than clothing.
      7. You see, the argument is from the greater to the lesser. John Calvin explains the principle nicely. Commenting on this verse, he says, “[Christ] argues from the greater to the less. He had forbidden [his disciples] to be excessively anxious about the way in which life might be supported; and he now assigns the reason. The Lord, who has given life itself, will not [allow] us to [lack] what is necessary for its support. And certainly we do no small dishonour to God, when we fail to trust that he will give us necessary food or clothing; as if he had thrown us on the earth at random. He who is fully convinced, that the Author of our life has an intimate knowledge of our condition, will entertain no doubt that he will make abundant provision for our wants. Whenever we are seized by any fear or anxiety about food, let us remember, that God will take care of the life which he gave us.” (John Calvin and William Pringle, Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists Matthew, Mark, and Luke, vol. 1 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 340.) I think this is good and right.
      8. And it seems to me that Christ is also reminding us here that God has the power to sustain the life of our soul and the life of our body, for all eternity. The life of the soul requires more than food. The life of the body requires more than clothing. God is able to sustain us, body and soul, in this life as he provides us with food to eat and clothes to wear. More than this, God is able to sustain us, body and soul, for all eternity. We are to trust the Lord that he will sustain us in this life (for as long as he has decreed we live here), and we are to trust the Lord that he will sustain us in the life to come.
      9. The argument is from the greater to the lesser. If we are to trust the Lord with our very lives and concerning the most basic necessities of life, then we out to trust him in all things, and not be anxious.
      10. Hear the command of Christ again: “Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on.” (Luke 12:22, ESV)
2. Not only does Christ command his followers not to be anxious, but he provides us with remedies – true remedies – remedies that get to the very heart of anxiety.
  1. The first remedy is found in the word “therefore” at the beginning of verse 22. “And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on.”
    1. The word “therefore” is to remind us of what Christ had just taught as recorded in the previous passage. In the previous passage, Christ warned his disciples about the heart sin of covetousness. “And he said to them, ‘Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life [ζωή] does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15, ESV).
    2. He then told a parable about a foolish rich man who put all his trust in his possessions. The rich man’s fields produced bountifully. He did not think to give thanks to God, nor did he think to relieve the suffering of the poor and needy. Instead, he thought only of himself. He tore down his barns and built larger ones to store (hoard) his possessions. And then in Luke 12:19 he spoke to his own soul (his Ψυχή), saying, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” But in verse 20, God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul (Ψυχή) is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” Jesus then concluded his parable with this word of explanation: “So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:21, ESV).
    3. When Christ began his teaching about anxiety with the word “therefore”, he connected what he had said about covetousness with what he was about to say concerning anxiety. Covetousness and anxiety go together, and it should not be difficult to see why. If you love the things of this world supremely, and if you have placed your hope in the things of this world, as the rich fool did, then you are likely to be anxious concerning the loss of these things. In fact, I think it is right to say that you ought to be anxious. Stated differently, if you are covetous – if you have loved the things of this world (created things) supremely and have made them the source of your hope, your joy, and your peace – then it is perfectly reasonable for you to be anxious, for you have built your life on a very shaky foundation, one that is destined to give way.
      1. Think of the man who loves money supremely and has made his 401K his trust. He spends a lifetime soothing himself with the accumulation of wealth. It brings him a sense of comfort and security. But that man is a fool. He is a fool because he has forgotten about death. He has forgotten that at some point God will say to him, “This night your soul (Ψυχή) is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?”
      2. Think of the mother who loves her children supremely. She spends a good portion of her life living for her children and finding her ultimate satisfaction and peace in them. This too is folly. As good as it is for a mother to love her children and to nurture them, she must not make her children the foundation of her life. The children will grow and establish households of their own. They too are moral beings. They cannot bear the weight of our hopes and dreams. They do not have the power to sustain our lives.
      3. Apply this principle to every created thing. Covetousness is idolatry. Idolatry is folly. God alone is to be supremely loved, feared, and trusted, for God alone is able to sustain us. Whenever we transfer the love, fear, and trust that is due to God alone and place it on some created thing, anxiety is bound to follow, or at least it should. Those who trust in created things supremely and do not feel anxious about it are blind fools who have forgotten about death and the final judgment.
      4. It is no wonder that the only remedy the world can offer for anxiety is to manage and mask the symptoms. The truth is, apart from God and Christ, human beings have every reason to be anxious. In fact, I am not surprised that the world is anxious. To be honest, I’m surprised there is not more anxiety in the world. But I know what holds it back. Men are fools. They have found many ways to convince themselves, against all evidence, that God does not exist and to distract themselves from the fact that they will die someday and will be judged by him. More than this, men are idolaters who have found ways to soothe themselves with their little false gods. And when these false gods fail them, which they inevitably will, men have found many ways to numb themselves to the reality of their hopeless condition. Of course, this is no true solution to their anxiety.
      5. The fear of God and faith in Christ is the solution. But to have God and Christ, covetousness must go, for covetousness is idolatry (see Colossians 3:5).
  2. The second true remedy to anxiety that Christ offers to his followers is found in the “consider.” Do you see the word “consider”? It appears twice in our text, once at the beginning of verse 24 and again at the beginning of verse 27.
    1. The word “consider” is also in the imperative mood in the Greek. This means it is a command we are to obey. This indicates that we have responsibility in this matter.
    2. To consider is, “To give very careful consideration to some matter—‘to think about [something] very carefully, to consider [something] closely’” (Louw Nida, 349).
    3. If a follower of Jesus Christ is feeling anxious (which we all do from time to time), one thing we must do is consider. We must slow down and think. We must contemplate.
    4. And what are we to consider? Answer: We are to consider God’s revelation. We are to consider what God has said to us regarding who he is, who we are, and our relationship to him, in Christ Jesus.
      1. In verse 24 Christ says, “Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!” (Luke 12:24, ESV)
        
        Just a moment ago, Christ spoke to his disciples, saying, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat… (Luke 12:22, ESV). Now Christ reassures his disciples concerning God’s faithful provision of food.
        
        Christ reassures his disciples concerning the faithful provision of food by directing their attention first to natural revelation. “Consider the ravens”, Christ says. Even nature testifies to the fact that God is faithful to provide for his creatures. “Consider the ravens”, they are not like that rich fool who sowed his field with seed, reaped an abundant harvest, and tore down his perfectly good barns to build bigger ones. That rich fool trusted in himself and in his possession. The ravens are wiser than him. They trust God for their daily provisions, and “God feeds them.” God has designed the world in such a way that even nature speaks to his existence and faithfulness. “Consider the ravens”, Christ says.
        
        And then Christ comforts his disciples with a bit of special revelation. “Of how much more value are you than the birds!”
      2. The pattern is repeated in verses 27 and 28. There Christ says, “Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!”
        
        Just a moment ago Christ commanded his disciples, saying, “do not be anxious… about your body, what you will put on” (Luke 12:22, ESV). Now Christ reassures his disciples concerning God’s faithful provision of clothing.
        
        He reassured them by again directing their attention to natural revelation. “Consider the lilies”, Christ commands. Look at how they grow. You do not see the flowers of the field anxiously straining or struggling. They simply trust in God day by day. And yet they are dressed more beautifully than King Solomon ever was.
        
        And to this observation of the natural world, Christ adds his definitively clear word: “But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!”
    5. So then, Christ speaks to the anxious disciple of his and says, it is time for you to consider some things more carefully than you have before. You must think more deeply about God and his faithfulness to provide for his creatures, in general. And you must think more carefully about the special love that he has set upon you to call you to repentance and faith and to reconcile you to himself through me. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ plagued by anxiety, one thing you must do is consider God’s revelation – his world book and his word book – the book of nature and the book of Scripture – more carefully, and believe what God says. Notice that Christ rebukes his disciples for their lack of faith. It’s as if Christ says, you are plagued by anxiety because you are failing to believe what God has said.
    6. Sandwiched in between Christ’s commands to consider the ravens and to consider the lilies, we find this little comment regarding the futility and folly of anxiety. “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?” (Luke 12:25–26, ESV).
      1. This is also an important truth for the anxious disciple of Christ to consider. Not only are we to consider God and his faithfulness to us in the Covenant of Grace, we also must consider what a giant waste of time and energy – what a useless distraction – anxiety over the cares of this world is.
        
        Not only is anxiety dishonoring to God, being rooted in a lack of faith in him, it also accomplishes nothing.
        
        We cannot make our stature increase by 18” by worrying. That is what the Greek literally says. And this is a metaphorical way of saying, by worrying, we do not have the ability to lengthen our lives by a single hour. Why worry, then? Being anxious brings nothing good and beneficial. It only does harm.
        
        Anxiety is a distraction. It will rob us of our vitality and sap our strength. Instead of being anxious about the cares and concerns of this life, we are to trust the Lord and depend on him for daily provision.
  3. So far, two remedies to anxiety have been presented. First, we are to beware of covetousness, which is idolatry. Covetousness and anxiety go together, remember. Secondly, we carefully consider God’s revelation of himself and of his care for us in nature and in Scripture so that we might trust God’s Word. Thirdly, we are to put away every distraction and devote our lives to seeking the kingdom of God.
    1. Look at verses 29-31. There Christ says, “And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you” (Luke 12:29–31, ESV).
      1. There are three commands in verses 29-31. Two are negative, and one is positive.
      2. The two negative commands are these: “Do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried.
        
        What does Christ mean when he says, “Do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink”? Does Christ mean that we are to think nothing at all about procuring food and drink? Does he mean that we are to neglect work and sit idly by as if food and drink will fall down from heaven? Does he mean that we should not shop for groceries or meal prep? No, that would be absurd. And we know this would be an incorrect interpretation because other Scriptures texts command us to be diligent in work so that we might provide for ourselves and those under our care (see 1 Timothy 5:8).
        
        Given the context, Christ must mean that we must not make the attainment of food and drink the aim and driving ambition of our lives. This is how the nations live, Christ says. The non-beliving world lives for the attainment of wealth, food, drink, clothing, and shelter. The disciple of Jesus is not to live for this. We are not to worry about these things, but we are to trust that God will provide for us through means, the most common means being work.
        
        You know, there is a difference between living to eat and eating to live. There is a difference between pouring your life into your home and responsibly maintaining the home that God has provided for you to live in. There is a difference between living to shop for clothing and shopping for clothing so that you might live. Disciples of Christ are not to seek what they are to eat and drink with anxious concern.
      3. Instead, Christ positively commands us to seek the Father’s kingdom, and promises that these things – the food and the drink – will be added to us (Luke 12:31, ESV). In other words, we are to make the attainment and advancement of the kingdom of God our driving concern as we trust in the Lord to meet all our physical and spiritual needs.
        
        What does it mean to seek the Father’s kingdom?
        
        To seek the kingdom of God is to seek to enter it now and for eternity. And how does one enter the kingdom of God except through faith in Christ the King?
        
        To seek the kingdom of God is to seek to be ruled by God and to be more and more obedient to him.
        
        To seek the kingdom of God is to advance his kingdom on earth now to through the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
        
        This is what Christians should devote themselves to as they trust in God to meet their basic needs.
3. There are four more imperatives found in verses 32 through 33. “Fear not”, Christ says.
  “Sell” and “give”. And finally, “provide for yourselves”. I take these to be the fruit or result of a life that is free from anxiety and marked by faithful dependence upon the Lord.
  1. In verse 32 Christ speaks to his disciples, saying, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
    1. In Christ, we are to live a life free from anxiety and fear.
    2. We are not to fear because we are Christ’s sheep and Christ is our shepherd.
    3. We are to seek the Father’s kingdom without fear knowing that it is our Father’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom.
  2. As it pertains to possessions, those who are free from covetousness and anxiety will be free to sell and give. “Sell your possessions, and give to the needy”, Christ says.
    1. It would be foolish to think that Christ is here teaching his disciples to sell all that they have to give to the needy. This is not what the text says. If his disciples were to do that, they would all be needy themselves.
    2. We must remember the context. When it comes to our possessions we are not to hold on to them with a clenched fist like the rich fool did, but with an open hand, being willing to give out of our abundance and according to our ability (see Acts 5:4, Ezra 2:69; 1 Corinthians 16:2).
    3. Those free from covetousness and anxiety will free to live with this kind of boldness, courage, and generosity.
  3. The final command is, “provide”. “Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys” (Luke 12:33, ESV).
    1. Being freed from covetousness and anxiety concerning the things of the earth we free us to store up moneybags and treasures in heaven. All of the treasures of this world will fail us. Moths will eat away at clothing, food will rots, houses and barns will decay, thieves will steal, and death will cause all of the possessions we have accumulated to be distributed to others. But it is possible to store up treasures in heaven. This is done through faith in Christ and through the good deeds we perform by God’s grace.
Conclusion
1. In the introduction to this sermon, I stated that Christ does not merely teach us to mask or manage the symptoms of our anxiety but gets to the heart of the matter. This has been demonstrated already as Christ links anxiety with the covetousness in the heart, commands us to consider his word, and directs us to seek first God’s kingdom and his rightousness (see Matthew 6:33). But all that Christ has commanded is summed and explained with these words, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:34, ESV).
2. Anxiety is a matter of the heart. The heart will always be set on its treasure. And the heart will always be anxious to preserve and protect it’s treasure. Where is your treasure? That is the question. Is your treasure here on earth? If it is, your heart has every good reason to be anxious. Or is your treasure with God and Christ in heaven? If your treasure is in heaven with God and Christ, you have every reason to be at peace and free from all fear and anxiety, for that treasure is secure, having been secured by Christ our redeemer.
3. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:3–7, ESV)

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Luke 12:22-34, Posted by Joe. Comments Off

Jul 24
21

Catechetical Sermon: How Does Christ Execute The Office Of A King?, Baptist Catechism 29

Baptist Catechism 29

Q. 29. How doth Christ execute the office of a king?

A. Christ executeth the office of a king, in subduing us to Himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all His and our enemies. (Ps. 110:3; Matt. 2:6; 1 Cor. 15:25)

Scripture Reading: Matthew 2:1–6

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” (Matthew 2:1–6, ESV)

*****

Brothers and sisters, I’ll begin by reminding you that we are considering the work of Christ in this portion of our catechism. It was in Baptist Catechism questions 24-25 that we considered the person and natures of Christ. In other words, those questions and answers addressed the questions, who and what is Jesus? The question behind Baptist Catechism questions 26-31 is, what is the work that Christ has done to redeem us from our sin and misery? As you probably know by now, our catechism presents the work of Christ by considering the offices he has fulfilled. An office is a work to be done. Jesus Christ, the only redeemer of God’s elect, has fulfilled three offices. We have considered his prophetic and priestly offices. Today we will consider his kingly office.

Consider, briefly, four things about Christ the Redeemer and his kingly office:

One, Jesus Christ was not the first king of God’s people.

Under the Old Mosaic Covenant, many kings were appointed to rule within Israel. To learn about Israel’s kings, you may read 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles. The history of Israel’s kings is rather sad. It did not begin well with the choosing of Saul. Israel wanted a king like all the other nations. God allowed them to have Saul. He was a disaster because he was worldly and faithless (see 1 Samuel 15:23). Afterwards, David was anointed king. David was far from perfect, but he was a man after God’s heart (see 1 Samuel 13:14). This means he was a man of faith. This also means that he understood the kings of Israel were to rule under God’s supreme authority. David was the greatest of the kings of Israel. The nation was settled and well-established under his rule. His son Solomon enjoyed the fruits of that, but he turned his back on the LORD. Of all the kings that descended from David and Solomon, some were faithful, but most were unfaithful. When you read the story of Israel’s kings, you will notice this theme: As goes the king, so goes the kingdom. Kings are to protect the citizens of their kingdom. They are to rule over them justly. They are to lead. When the kings of Israel (and later Judah) honored the Lord, the nation was blessed. When they dishonored the Lord, the nation was cursed.

The second thing I would like you to consider is that long ago it was promised that a great King would arise in the line of David.

2 Samuel 7 is a very important Scripture text. In it, we find a record of what is called the Davidic Covenant. There God promises many things to King David as it pertains to his kingdom. Listen to verses 12-13. There the Lord promises David, “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Samuel 7:12–13, ESV). In verse 16 the Lord says, “And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16, ESV).

So, God promised to raise up a son from David who would rule over his kingdom forever. This should sound familiar. Just as God promised that the Messiah would be a priest who served forever, God also promised that David would have a son who would rule and reign forever.

This combination of the priestly and kingly offices is also observed in Psalm 110 which we read earlier. Here is again: “The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’ The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies! Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours. The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek’” (Psalm 110:1–4, ESV).

Notice a few things about this very important text: One, this king who would be David’s son would also be David’s Lord. That is why David said, “The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand…” etc. The first LORD mentioned is God. And who is the second Lord mentioned? He is the king who would descend from David. So, David’s son would be greater than him. Jesus makes much of this in Luke 20:41-44. Two, this great king would be invited to sit, not on an earthly throne, but at God’s right hand in heaven. Three, this king would sit there until all his enemies were subdued. Four, many will be judged by this king, being placed under his feet. Five, his people would offer themselves freely on the day of his power. In other words, many would bow the knee to him freely and surrender to him as Lord. It is no wonder that many were eagerly awaiting the arrival of this Anointed King or Messiah.

This leads to our third consideration concerning Christ’s kingly office. Though Jesus Christ was not the first king, he is by far the greatest King. He is the King of Psalm 110. He is the King of 2 Samuel 7. He is the King who descended from David. He is the King who rules and reigns forever over God’s eternal kingdom. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords (see Revelation 19:16).

The New Testament Scriptures teach this in many different ways. Listen to the very first verse of the New Testament. Matthew 1:1 says, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” Matthew begins his gospel by telling us that Jesus Christ is the son that was promised to David as recorded in 2 Samuel 7.

When the angel Gabriel came to make the announcement to the virgin Mary that she would conceive and give birth to a son, he said, among other things, “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:31–33, ESV).

Many other proofs could be piled up in support of the claim that Jesus is the Anointed son of David, the King of God’s eternal kingdom. I’ll present one more passage to you from the book of Revelation. Here we find a picture of the return of Christ and the final judgment. In Revelation 19:11 we read, “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:11–16, ESV).

The fourth and final thing I would like you to consider about Christ’s kingly work is that in this office, Christ the Redeemer meets our needs.

What needs does Christ meet as our king? One, subduing us to himself. We need him to do this because we are by nature rebels and enemies of God. Two, he rules over us. Those who have Jesus as Savior also have him as Lord (see Romans 10:9). Lords rule over their people! Christ is a most merciful and kind ruler. Three, Christ defends his people. Listen to the words of Christ in John 10:25: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one” (John 10:27–30, ESV). Four, Christ restrains all of his and our enemies (see Revelation 20:1-3). Five, Christ conquers all of his and our enemies, the last enemy to be conquered is death. You can hear echoes of Psalm 110 in 1 Corinthians 15:25-27. There Paul writes about Christ, saying, “For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For ‘God has put all things in subjection under his feet’” (1 Corinthians 15:25–27, ESV).

*****

I would like to conclude this little sermon by reading Second London Confession chapter 8 paragraphs 9 and 10 to you. This will serve as a nice conclusion to this sermon and to this section of our catechism.

Paragraph 9. This office of mediator between God and man is proper only to Christ, who is the prophet, priest, and king of the church of God; and may not be either in whole, or any part thereof, transferred from him to any other. (1 Timothy 2:5)

Paragraph 10. This number and order of offices is necessary; for in respect of our ignorance, we stand in need of his prophetical office; and in respect of our alienation from God, and imperfection of the best of our services, we need his priestly office to reconcile us and present us acceptable unto God; and in respect to our averseness and utter inability to return to God, and for our rescue and security from our spiritual adversaries, we need his kingly office to convince, subdue, draw, uphold, deliver, and preserve us to his heavenly kingdom. (John 1:18; Colossians 1:21; Galatians 5:17; John 16:8; Psalms 110:3; Luke 1:74, 75)

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Posted by Joe. Comments Off

Jul 24
14

Sermon: Be On Your Guard Against All Covetousness, Luke 12:13-21

Old Testament Reading: Ecclesiastes 5:8–20; 12:13–14

“If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them. But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields. He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep. There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt, and those riches were lost in a bad venture. And he is father of a son, but he has nothing in his hand. As he came from his mother’s womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand. This also is a grievous evil: just as he came, so shall he go, and what gain is there to him who toils for the wind? Moreover, all his days he eats in darkness in much vexation and sickness and anger. Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart… The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 5:8–20; 12:13–14, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Luke 12:13-21

“Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’ But he said to him, ‘Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?’ And he said to them, ‘Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’ And he told them a parable, saying, ‘The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.’” (Luke 12:13–21, ESV)

*****

Introduction
1. I would like to remind you that we are in the middle of a section in Luke’s gospel wherein Jesus delivers a series of warnings to his disciples regarding sins of the heart. First, he warned his disciples of the sin of hypocrisy. Next, he warned them about the fear of man. Connected to this, Christ warned his disciples not to shrink back when faced with persecution, but to acknowledge him before men. Here in the passage that is open before us today, Christ warns his disciples about the heart-sin of covetousness. He spoke to the crowds, and especially to his disciples, saying, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
2. This warning from Christ, and the teaching that follows, was prompted by a request made by a man in the crowd. Luke 12:13 says, “Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’”
  1. We don’t know who this man was or the details of his situation. It is likely that he had an older brother who refused, or perhaps was slow to, divvy up the inheritance he had received from his parents’ estate with his siblings. In those days, the firstborn son was to receive a double portion of the inheritance, and it may have been the responsibility of the firstborn son to administer the estate and distribute the funds. Clearly, there was some disagreement between this man and his brother. Maybe the brother was someone who followed or respected Jesus. And so this man approached Jesus to ask for his help. “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me”, he said.
  2. Jesus’ response was rather curt. “But he said to him, ‘Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?’”
    1. Why did Jesus respond like this? Why was he unwilling to function as a judge or arbitrator in his case?
    2. The answer is, it was not a part of Jesus’ messianic mission to meddle in civil affairs. The proper place for a dispute like this to be settled was is in the civil law courts. Jesus Christ, as you probably know, showed no interest in engaging in politics or civil matters such as this during his earthly ministry. In Luke 20:25 we hear Christ say, “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And here Christ says, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” (Luke 12:14, ESV).
    3. Are we to take this to mean that disputes between brothers should not be settled within the church? Well, if the brothers are both Christians and church members, the church ought to mediate and even judge. 1 Corinthians 6 teaches that church members ought to settle disputes like this in-house, as it were, rather than going to law court against one another.
    4. But this situation was differnt. It appears that one, or both, of these brothers were not true disciples of Jesus. Therefore, the proper place for a dispute like this to be settled was in the civil law courts
    5. You see, this man was mistaken concerning Jesus’ mission and the nature of Christ’s kingdom. Jesus’ mission was not to overthrow Rome, to reform Old Covenant Israel, or to establish some new political system. He came to atone for sin, to inaugurate a New Covenant, and to establish the everlasting kingdom of God. But we must remember, that Christ’s kingdom is not of this world.
    6. Here is one of the significant ways in which Christ, his kingdom, and covenant differ from Moses and David, and the kingdom and covenant within which they served. The Old Mosaic Covenant and the Kingdom of Israel were very much of this world. And so Moses and King David did judge within the civil realm (see Exodus 18:13 and 2 Samuel 8:13). I’m sure this man thought that King Jesus would do the same. But King Jesus was unwilling to function as a judge or arbitrator between these brothers. King Jesus is a different kind of King. As has been said, his kingdom is not of this world. His kingdom is heavenly now. It is spiritual now. It is eternal. It will be brought to a consummation in the new heavens and earth when Christ returns. Christ will judge on the last day. And then he will judge, not partially and imperfectly, as Moses and the Kings of Israel did, but perfectly, fully, and finally.
    7. Jesus refused to function as judge or arbitrator between these two brothers. If they could not work out their differences privately, they would need to work them out in a court of law. And Jesus would have nothing to do with the court of law. Judging civil matters was not a part of his Messianic mission.
3. But notice that Jesus was willing to speak to spiritual matters, that is to say, to matters of morality and the heart.
Be On Your Guard Against All Covetousness
1. In Luke 11:15 we read, “He said to them…”
  1. “Them” might be a reference to the two brothers. Certainly, the crowd also heard this teaching. And we should not forget that the disciples of Jesus were present too. Notice that in Luke 12:22 Christ sets his attention squarely on his disciples again and builds upon the teaching he delivers here, saying, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life”, etc. So, this teaching was delivered to the disputing brothers and the crowd, but it was especially for the disciples of Jesus to hear.
2. And what did Christ warn against? He warns us, saying, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness…”
  1. What is covetousness? One dictionary defines covetousness as “a strong desire to acquire more and more material possessions or to possess more things than other people have, all irrespective of need” (Louw Nida, 290–291).
  2. Covetousness it must be remembered, takes place in the mind and heart. True, the heart sin of covetousness will eventually show itself in words and actions, but strictly speaking, covetousness is about thoughts and desires.
  3. Do not forget, brothers and sisters, that the tenth of the Ten Commandments is “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s” (Exodus 20:17, ESV).
    1. So serious and destructive is the heart sin of covetousness that one of the Ten Commandments is devoted to forbidding it.
    2. Some have noted that there is a connection between the tenth of the Ten Commandments and the nine that preceded it. If we were to reflect carefully concerning our violations of God’s law we would see that the sins we commit often spring forth from covetousness within the heart. Why do people dishonor those with authority over them, commit the sin of adultery, steal, lie, and even murder? Are these sins not often driven by the sin of covetousness within the heart?
    3. The Apostle James seems to make this connection. In James 4:1-2 we read, “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.”
  4. You should know that the Apostle Paul often warns against the sin of covetousness.
    1. In Colossians 3:5 Paul says, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”
      1. Isn’t that interesting? Paul says that covetousness is idolatry. What does he mean by this? He means that covetousness is idolatry in the heart. When we covet we make the things of this world to be like little gods to us.
    2. In Ephesians 5:2-3 Paul says, “But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
      1. Notice that Paul again calls covetousness idolatry.
      2. And notice that Paul lists the heart sin of covetousness alongside other sins that we might consider far more vile. Dear brothers and sisters, I hope you are beginning to see the point. Covetousness in the heart is no small sin to be trifled with.
      3. The seriousness of the sin of covetousness in the heart is especially stressed by Paul’s words, “For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
    3. Finally, in Romans 1:28 Paul is speaking of the ungodly when he says, “And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.”
  5. I mention the tenth of the Ten Commandments, James 4, and these statements from Paul in an attempt to alert you to the severity and danger of this sin of the mind and heart. I am afraid, dear brothers and sisters, that when we think about our battle against sin we tend to think primarily about the sins that we commit with our words and deeds. But covetousness is a sin of the mind and heart. We covet, not with our words or deeds, but with our thoughts, emotions, and desires. Dear friends, our battle against sin – our pursuit of holiness – should not begin with our words and deeds, but with the mind and heart. This is where the real work of sanctification is done. If we wish to grow in holiness, we must be transformed inwardly, renewed by God’s word and Spirit (see Romans 12:1-2, 1 Peter 1:14-16).
  6. This has been a theme in this portion of Luke’s gospel, hasn’t it? We have been warned against the sin of hypocrisy, which is fundamentally a sin of the heart. We have been warned against the sin of the fear of man. And here Christ warns us about covetousness. We should take the words of Christ very seriously: “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness…”
3. At the end of verse 15, Christ provides us with a striking reason to avoid covetousness. He says, “for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
  1. Material possessions do not in any way contribute to or sustain a person’s actual life, or existence. A poor man lives, and a rich man lives. The life of the poor man and the life of a rich man is not drawn from their possessions, be they little or great. Stated differently, our life or existence is derived from God, not our possessions. God is our creator. God is our sustainer. It is God who has numbered our days. We come from God and to God we will return. Therefore God ought to be our highest treasure and greatest pleasure. It is God we should love and fear. It is the glory and enjoyment of God that we should live for. How foolish it is to make the attainment of material possessions the center of your life and the purpose of your existence, therefore.
The Parable Of The Rich Man
1. Christ, being the good teacher that he is, told a parable to illustrate the point. In Luke 12:16 we read, “And he told them a parable, saying, ‘The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:16–21, ESV).
2. There are a few important observations to make about this parable:
  1. First, we should recognize what this parable is not about.
    1. This parable does not teach that the attainment of wealth is a sin. It is possible to be wealthy and godly. Think, for example, of Abraham. He was wealthy and godly. And think of Paul’s instructions for the rich. Paul wrote to Timothy, saying, “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17, ESV). Notice that Paul does not condemn the rich for being rich, and neither does he command that they stop being rich, but that they not be haughty (prideful), nor set their hopes on riches. Instead, those who are rich are to set their hope on God as they enjoy the kind gifts that God has given to them. In the same passage, Paul goes on to say, “They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:18–19, ESV). I think you can see that Paul’s teaching in 1 Timothy 6:17-19 agrees perfectly with Jesus’ teaching here in Luke 12:15-21. Here Christ warns against covetousness and his parable is about those who would lay up treasure for themselves here on earth but are not rich toward God (see Luke 12:21).
    2. Also, this parable does not teach against the wise use of money and possessions. In other places, the Scriptures teach us to work diligently and to save. Proverbs 6:6-11 says, “Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.” (Proverbs 6:6–11, ESV). The Scriptures also teach us to use our wealth for good and for the furtherance to the kingdom of Christ.
  2. Secondly, we must recognize what this parable is about – it is a warning against covetousness within the heart.
    1. The parable begins with these words: “The land of a rich man produced plentifully…” That, dear friends, is a blessing. It is a blessing from God. It is a blessing to give thanks to God for. It is a blessing to be used for good. It is a blessing to be enjoyed.
    2. But notice how this covetous man responded to this blessing from God. He did not think of God to give thanks and praise to him, nor did he think of the needy around him. Instead, “he thought to himself…” And what did he think to himself?
      1. “He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?” (Luke 12:17, ESV). Notice the repetition of the words “I” and “my”.
      2. Verse 18: “And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods” (Luke 12:18, ESV).
        
        Notice that this rich man’s impulse was not to give out of his abundance, but to store. Perhaps a better word would be, to hoard.
        
        And notice how wasteful he is. I think we are to assume that his barns were perfectly good. He could have simply built another barn, if necessary. But he decided to tear down the old barns and to build new ones – bigger and better barns than before.
      3. In verse 19 the rich man speaks to his own soul. “And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry” (Luke 12:19, ESV). Again I say, it is not wrong to enjoy the good gifts that God gives to us here on earth. What was wrong with this man’s reply, then? Two things:
        
        The first has already been mentioned. A major part of the problem is found in what the man does not say. His attention is exclusively turned inward upon himself. Again and again, he says “I” and “my”. He speaks to his soul and urges himself to take pleasure in these possessions of his. Never does he speak to God to give him thanks and praise. Never does he speak to the poor and needy around him, saying, come and be relieved out of the abundance that God has bestowed upon me.
        
        Notice, secondly, the confidence this man placed in his riches. He spoke to his soul, that is to say, to the immaterial part of himself that animates the body, the essence of his life, saying “You have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry” (Luke 12:19, ESV). Christ has just said, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15, ESV). And here we have a story about a rich man who lived as though his life consisted in the abundance of his possessions. This man did not enjoy his riches to the glory of God and use them for the good of others. No, he loved his riches. He idolized his riches. He put his trust in his riches. And this is something that the Scriptures often warn against.
        
        Psalm 62:10 says, “Put no trust in extortion; set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart on them.”
        
        Proverbs 11:28 says, “Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.”
      4. In verse 19 the rich man speaks to his own soul, but in verse 20, God speaks to him. There we read, “But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” (Luke 12:20, ESV).
        
        This rich man had spent a lifetime speaking to his own soul, but he did not speak to his soul about God or God’s word. No, he spoke to his own soul and gave no thought to God. He spoke to his own soul but it was only about his material possessions.
        
        This man was a fool, therefore. He lived as if this life and the riches of this life were all there is. He did not fear God. He forgot that one day he would stand before God to an account.
        
        And when it came for this man to die and to stand before God to give an account, he found that the words he had spent a lifetime speaking to his own soul were at odds with the words that God spoke to him. I’m sure that this man thought of himself as being very wise. It was a good and successful businessman. He had amassed great wealth. He lived in luxury and security. He spoke to his soul, saying, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” But God’s opinion of him was very differnt. God spoke to him, saying, “Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” In other words, God spoke to him saying, all of the stuff you spent a lifetime accumulating – all of the stuff that you loved and trusted in – where is it now? Can you bring it with you? Will it benefit you now? No, others will possess it. How foolish you were to live for the attainment of wealth and possessions. How foolish you were to love these possessions supremely and to make them your hope. How foolish you were to think that your life consisted in the abundance of your possessions.
      5. In verse 21 Christ concludes his parable with this explanation: “So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:21, ESV).
        
        Dear friends, whether you are rich or poor here in this life matters little. What matters is being rich toward God.
        
        To be rich toward God is to be made right with him through faith in Jesus Christ.
        
        To be rich toward God is to fear and love him supremely, to trust him and obey him.
        
        To be rich toward God is to give him thanks and praise for whatever gifts he has given you to enjoy while alive on earth.
        
        To be rich toward God is to use whatever gifts he has given to you for the glory of his name, the furtherance of his kingdom, and the good of those around you, especially those in need.
Conclusion
1. “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness…”, Christ says. I wonder, can you see why covetousness is such a deadly and dangerous sin?
  1. Some might be tempted to think, what’s the big deal? Covetousness is only in the mind and heart. It’s the sins that we commit in word and deed that matter most, for these are the sins that are truly destructive. But God’s word says otherwise. It is the sins of the heart that are truly destructive for it is from the heart that we speak and act. Indeed, the whole course of one’s life is set by the condition of one’s heart. And so the Scriptures say, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23, ESV).
2. Dear brothers and sisters, “be on your guard against all covetousness…”
  1. How easy it is to make the things of this world, be it money, possessions, people, positions, or prestige, the love of our lives. How easy it is to live for the things of this world as if they were supreme. But this is folly.
  2. We must live for God. He must be our supreme love and delight.
  3. If he is, this will enable us to enjoy the good things of this life in their proper place and in the proper way. The good things of this life must never become gods to us. Instead, they are to be enjoyed as gifts from God and as tokens of his love, all to his glory, honor, and praise.
3. The Christian must be on guard against all covetousness. Positively, all who follow Christ Jesus must pursue contentment. As Paul says, “godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:6–10, ESV).
  1. Dear brothers and sisters, are you content in Christ Jesus? Are you happy and satisfied with him? If the answer to that question is no, then I would urge you to make a diligent search of your heart for the sin of covetousness.
  2. I suspect you are feeling discontent because you have set your love and hope upon some earthly thing. Perhaps the Lord is being merciful to you now to show you that the things of this earth cannot satisfy or sustain your life. Only God and Christ can satisfy and sustain your life in this life and the life to come.
  3. If you are feeling discontent today, I pray that the Lord will help you find the idols of your heart and that he will strengthen you to tear them down and sweep them away so that God alone is Lord of your heart. Dear friends, we will never be satisfied or at peace until we have God as our delight. And only then will we have the freedom to truly enjoy the good things of this life in their proper place and in the proper way.

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Luke 12:13-21, Posted by Joe. Comments Off

Jul 24
14

Catechetical Sermon: How Does Christ Execute The Office Of A Priest?, Baptist Catechism 28, Hebrews 7:11–28

Baptist Catechism 28

Q. 28. How doth Christ execute the office of a priest?

A. Christ executeth the office of a priest, in His once offering up of Himself, a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice, and reconcile us to God, and in making continual intercession for us. (1 Peter 2:24; Heb. 9:28; Eph. 5:2; Heb. 2:17; 7:25; Rom. 8:34)

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 7:11–28

“Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron? For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. For it is witnessed of him, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God. And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath, but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever.’ ” This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.” (Hebrews 7:11–28, ESV)

*****

Introduction

As you probably recall, we are in the middle of a section in our catechism wherein we are considering the work that Jesus Christ has done to redeem us from our sin and misery. Our catechism presents the work of Christ to us in a very helpful way, that is, through the lens of the threefold offices of Christ. An office is a work to be performed. And we are learning that Christ has fulfilled the office of prophet, priest, and king. Today, we are considering Christ’s priestly work.

Consider four things about Christ the Redeemer and his priestly work (these observations will sound familiar):

First, Jesus Christ was not the first priest of God.

In the days of Abraham, there was a priest of God named Melchizedek. You may read of him in Genesis 14:l17ff. He’s a bit of a mysterious figure, but he is very important. We will return to him shortly. And in the days of Moses, Aaron was consecrated to fulfill the office of priest in Israel. From that day forward, it was the descendants of Aaron and Levi who were to hold the office of priest.

What work did these priests do? They ministered at the tabernacle, and later, the temple. They were to keep the temple pure. They were to offer sacrifices and prayers to God on behalf of the people. The priests were intermediaries and intercessors. The people of Israel were to approach God through the priesthood, at the temple, and through the sacrificial system of the Old Covenant.

The second thing I would like you to consider is that long ago it was promised that a great priest would arise, not in the line of Aaron or Levi, but according to the order of Melchizedek.

The writer of the book Hebrews makes much of this in Hebrews chapters five through seven. In that long passage, he quotes Psalm 110:4. This Psalm was written by King David about 1,000 years before Christ was born. This Psalm is about the promised Messiah. And one of the things it revealed was that the Messiah would be a priest. Psalm 110:4 says, “The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek’” (Psalm 110:4, ESV).

Two things about this verse are shocking.

One, it revealed that the Messiah would be a priest, not in the line of Aaron or Levi, but in the order of Melchizedek, that mysterious figure mentioned in Genesis 14. The reason for this is that the Messiah would not be called to function as a priest according to the order of the Old Mosaic Covenant (see Exodus 19-Deuteronomy). As priest, he would not offer up animal sacrifices or incense at the temple. He would not be concerned with ceremonial washing or the holy days of the Old Covenant. No, as a priest, the Messiah would serve under a different Covenant — the New Covenant — and according to a different order. Melchizedek lived long before Moses. Melchizedek predated the Old Mosaic Covenant. Melchizedek ministered in the world in a time when only the Covenant of Grace was present in the world, and then only in the form of a promise. For this reason, Christ is said to be a priest, not in the line of Moses, Aaron, or Levi, but Melchizedek. Just as Melchizedek served the Covenant of Grace, so to Christ would serve the Covenant of Grace. In the days of Melchizedek the Covenant of Grace was promised. In the days of Christ, it was fulfilled. As it pertains to the priestly office, Jesus Christ has more in common with Melchizedek than Moses, Aaron, and Levi.

Two, Psalm 110:4 says that Messiah will be a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. This is shocking because the priests who descended from Aaron would serve for a time but their service would always come to an end because they would die. All of the priests of the Old Covenant order were eventually removed from office by death. But the Messiah, Psalm 110:4 revealed, would serve as a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. As I have said, Psalm 110 was written by King David about 1,000 years before Jesus the Messiah was born. From that time until the arrival of the Messiah, God’s people lived with a sense of anticipation wondering when this great priest would arrive, who he would be, what work he would do, and how he could possibly serve forever, in fulfillment of this ancient prophecy (see 1 Peter 1:10-11).

A lot more could be said about how the priestly work of Christ was anticipated under the Old Covenant. In brief, though the Messiah would be a priest, not in the order of Aaron or Levi, but in the order of Melchizedek, the priesthood of Aaron and Levi and their ministry at the tabernacle and temple under the Old Covenant did foreshadow the priesthood of Christ in many ways. The continual offering up of the blood of bulls and goats, the perpetual need for cleansing, and the cycle of priests being ordained to the office and then being removed by death, anticipated the arrival of the one who would actually atone for and cleanse from sin, who would mediate forever and ever so as to bring us into the presence of God. The book of Hebrews has a lot to say about these things, especially chapters seven through ten.

This leads to our third consideration concerning Christ’s priestly office. Though Jesus Christ was not the first priest, he is by far the greatest priest, and he is also the last.

The priests of the Old Covenant offered up the blood of bulls and goats. This animal blood could not actually atone for human sin and make one right with God (see Hebrews 10:1-4). These sacrifices did point forward to the sacrifice that Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, has offered up. And what sacrifice did Jesus offer up? He offered up his own life as a substitute for sinners. He shed his own blood for the remission of sins. Christ said, “for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28, ESV).

The priests of old were able to cleanse the body and make one ceremonially pure according to the conditions of the Old Covenant, but they could not cleanse the conscience. It is Christ who cleanses the conscience, for Christ actually removes the guilt of sin. This is why the writer to the Hebrews says, “and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:21–23, ESV).

The priests of old, though they were able to intercede from on earth on behalf of God’s people, were not able to reconcile people to God, for they themselves were sinners in need of cleansing. And though they fulfilled an important ministry for a time, their ministries were always cut short by death. But Christ, our great High Priest, is able to bring us to God, and he intercedes for his people continuously, for he lived a sinless life, died a sacrificial death for his people, was buried, and on the third day, and was raised to life eternal and incorruptible. He ascended to the right hand of the Father where he makes continual intercession for his people. None of the priests of old ascended. They served God and his people on earth. But Christ ascended into the heavenly holy of holies.

This is what Hebrews 10:12-14 speaks about, saying, “And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:11–14, ESV).

I could say a lot more. The priests of old were good and even great, but Christ is much greater. Christ was raised from the dead. He has ascended. His blood actually cleanses from sin. He has the power to reconcile us to God.

The fourth and final thing I would like you to consider about Christ’s priestly work is that in this office, Christ the Redeemer meets our needs.

Because of sin, we need to be cleansed. We need to be made right with God. We cannot ascend to heaven on our own. Someone needs to take us there. Jesus Christ is the one. His blood cleanses (see 1 John 1:7). He gives his righteousness to all who turn from their sins to trust in him (see Isaiah 61:10). He reconciles us to the Father (see Romans 5:11). He intercedes for us continually (see Hebrews 7:25).

*****

Conclusion

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Posted by Joe. Comments Off

Jul 24
7

Sermon: Do Not Be Afraid To Acknowledge Christ Before Men, Luke 12:8-12

Old Testament Reading: Daniel 3:8-30

“Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. They declared to King Nebuchadnezzar, ‘O king, live forever! You, O king, have made a decree, that every man who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.’ Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?’ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.’ Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. Because the king’s order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, ‘Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?’ They answered and said to the king, ‘True, O king.’ He answered and said, ‘But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.’ Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, ‘Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!’ Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, ‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.’ Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.” (Daniel 3:8–30, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Luke 12:8-12

“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.” (Luke 12:8–12, ESV)

*****

Introduction
1. This passage that we are considering today goes with the previous one. In Luke 12:4-7 Christ warned his disciples about the fear of man. He spoke to his disciples, saying, “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do.” Instead, we are to fear God “who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell” (Luke 12:5, ESV). It is God we are to fear, not man.
2. Here in our passage today Christ continues to address the danger of the fear of man, but in this text, he turns his attention to the inevitable result of this heart sin, namely, the denial of Jesus Christ before men. Those who fear man supremely, and not God, will deny Christ when faced with pressure and persecution. Here Christ addresses that temptation and gives his followers every good reason to acknowledge him before men and never to deny him.
Those Who Deny Christ Will Be Denied; Those Who Acknowledge Christ Will Be Acknowledged
1. The first reason Christ gives to acknowledge him before men and never to deny him is found in verse 8. There Christ says, “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.”
  1. The words, “And I tell you…”, connect what is said in this passage to the previous one. Jesus transitioned straight from his warning against the fear of man into this exhortation to his disciples to acknowledge him before men. Those who wish to follow after Jesus must not allow their fear of man to hinder them from acknowledging him before men.
  2. To acknowledge Jesus is to profess that he is the Messiah, the Redeemer that God has provided. To acknowledge Christ is to confess that he is your Lord and your Savior. And where is this profession or confession to be made? It is not a private or secret confession but a confession that must be made before men.
    1. Paul the Apostle speaks of this in Romans 10:9-10. There he says, “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.”
    2. You see, it is in the privacy of the heart that we first believe in Christ. But this inward and private belief must then be confessed. To confess Christ is to “express openly one’s allegiance” to Christ (Louw Nida, 417). Paul says, that to be saved, one must believe in Christ in the heart and confess with the mouth that Jesus is Lord.
    3. That little phrase, “Jesus is Lord”, is loaded with meaning, isn’t it? It is an example of a very early creed or confession. You would be badly mistaken if you think that salvation will come to those who merely say the words, Jesus is Lord, as if they were magical. No, this confession must be made with understanding and heartfelt conviction. If this confession is to bring salvation to the sinner it must be preceded by belief in the heart and mind.
  3. This is also how we are to understand the teaching of Christ about acknowledging him before men. This is no casual acknowledgment that Christ is speaking of. Christ is not saying that those who greet him casually or show some respect to him in public will be saved. No. To acknowledge Christ is to openly express one’s allegiance to him (the same Greek word is behind the English word “acknowledge” in Luke 12:8 and “confess” in Romans 10:9, which we have just considered). To acknowledge Jesus is to confess him as Lord. To acknowledge Christ is to believe what he has claimed concerning himself and to confess that he is the Messiah, the Redeemer of God’s elect, the Savior of the world, the eternal Son of God incarnate, the only Mediator between God and man. As I have said, this is no casual acknowledgment that Christ is speaking of, but a thoughtful and sincere expression of faith and allegiance to Jesus Christ as Lord.
  4. Here in our text, Christ gives his disciples good reason to express their allegiance to him before men and not shrink back due to the fear of man. Look again at verses 8 and 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.”
    1. Here Christ directs our attention to the realities of the heavenly realm and especially to the final judgment and he urges his followers to make wise choices.
      1. The reality is that those who openly express their allegiance to Christ before men will have Christ openly express his allegiance to them before the angels in heaven. But those who deny any relationship of association with Christ before men will have Christ deny any relationship of association with them before the angels in heaven.
      2. It’s as if Christ says, take your pick. Choose wisely. Would you rather have the temporary approval of men on earth or the eternal approval of Christ in heaven? One would have to be a fool to choose the momentary approval of man on earth over the everlasting acknowledgment of Christ before the angels of God in heaven.
    2. There is a sense in which Christ acknowledges those who have professed faith in him before the angels of God in heaven now. Christ represents his people in heaven now. He intercedes for them now. But this warning that Christ gives is ultimately about the final judgment.
      1. Baptist catechism 41 is correct in its answer to the question, What benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection [that is to say, on the last day when Christ returns to judge and make all things new]? Answer: At the resurrection believers, being raised up in glory, shall be openly acknowledged, and acquitted in the day of judgment, and made perfectly blessed, both in soul and body, in the full enjoyment of God to all eternity. Matthew 10:32 is listed as a proof text. That is a parallel passage to Luke 12:8-9. There Christ says, “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven…” (Matthew 10:32, ESV). On the day of judgment, those in Christ will not be publicly exposed and condemned (see Luke 12:1-2) but will instead be openly acknowledged as God’s redeemed children and acquitted, that is to say, publicly declared to be not guilty.
      2. This is to be contrasted with the fate of those who die in their sins and apart from Christ. Baptist Catechism 43 asks, What shall be done to the wicked, at the day of judgment? Answer: At the day of judgment the bodies of the wicked, being raised out of their graves, shall be sentenced, together with their souls, to unspeakable torments with the devil and his angels forever. This is the true teaching of Holy Scripture (see Matthew 25:31-46).
      3. Notice Christ refers to himself as the “Son of Man” in our text. This, as you might know, was Christ’s favorite title for himself. It is a Messianic title. When Christ referred to himself as the Son of Man he was claiming to be the Messiah. In this instance, I do believe it is also a reminder that Christ, the Son of Man, will judge the world on the last day. We are to think of the vision that Daniel the prophet saw, as recorded in Daniel chapter 7 concerning the Son of Man coming with the clouds on the last day (see Daniel 7:14-15). We should also pay attention to the use of the title, the Son of Man, in the remainder of Luke’s gospel. Often, the title is used in the context of Christ returning to judge on the last day (see for example Luke 12:40; 17:29-37).
    3. When Christ says, “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”, he is reminding us of the judgment day aging us to make wise choices in light of it. What will you choose? Will you choose the momentary approval of men on earth today or the everlasting approval and acknowledgment of Christ before God and his holy angels on the day of judgment?
  5. Before we move on to verse 10, I must ask you, have you acknowledged Christ before men? Have you professed your allegiance to him? Have you confessed, or openly acknowledged, him to be your Lord and Savior?
    1. Before there can be a credible profession of faith in Christ there must be belief in the heart (remember Romans 10:9-10). And so I ask you, do you know enough about Christ to profess faith in him? Do you know about God, his creation and covenant, man’s fall into sin, and God’s plan of redemption? Do you know about Christ and the work he has done to accomplish our redemption? Do you know how the benefits of the redemption purchased by Christ are received? In other words, do you know what the Word of God teaches? Do you know the fundamentals of the gospel and the Christian faith? If you do not, it is time to learn. You are in a church where these things are taught. You’d be foolish to neglect these teachings.
    2. And if there is faith in your heart – if you do indeed believe in your heart that Christ is the Savior that God has provided, that he has accomplished our redemption, and that God has raised him from the dead – then I ask you, have you openly acknowledged Christ to be your Savior? Have you confessed with your mouth that Jesus is Lord?
      1. It is right for you to make this confession first to God in prayer. It is right for you to confess your sins to God and to ask God to forgive you in Jesus’ name. And in prayer, it is right to say to God, Jesus is my Lord! I trust in him. I rest in him. I will follow him and serve him. All of this must be said, and it is right to start by saying it to God in prayer.
      2. But Jesus Christ must also be acknowledged before men. You need to tell others that you believe in Jesus Christ and that he is your Lord. If you are a child, start with your Christian parents. After that, tell other Christians. Very soon, you will need to tell a pastor.
      3. And where is the public profession of faith in Christ to culminate except in the waters of baptism? It is through the waters of baptism that those who have faith in Christ say to God and to all who witness that Jesus is Lord! And it is in baptism that the name of the Triune God is placed upon those who have pledged allegiance to Jesus. In other words, it is in the sacrament of baptism that we publicly acknowledge Jesus, and it is in baptism that Jesus acknowledges that we belong to him.
        
        Baptism, dear friends, is not a private thing. It is not a family thing. It is an ordinance of the church to be administered by a pastor or elder ordained to the ministry and before the believing community.
      4. And do not think that our acknowledgment of Christ ends with baptism. It continues in a sacramental way through our observance of the Lord’s Supper as we gather together on the Lord’s Day in Jesus’ name. Baptism signifies our union with Christ in the Covenant of Grace. The Lord’s Supper signifies our continuance in Christ in the Covenant of Grace. In Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, we openly acknowledge Christ as our Lord and Savior, and in the sacraments, we are marked off as belonging to Christ.
        
        Just as baptism is not a private affair to be administered in private or in families, but in public by the ministers of the church, whom God has made stewards of the mysteries of God, so too the Lord’s Supper is to administered when the church is assembled in Jesus’ name and by ministers.
      5. And you should know that our open acknowledgment of Christ before men is not to be restricted to the church through the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper but is to extend into every aspect of our lives. The world must know that you are Christian because you claim to be with your mouth and show yourself to be by your way of life.
      6. Whenever you are tempted to conceal your allegiance to Christ – whenever you are tempted to talk like the world, dress like the world, or act like the world, being driven by the fear of man to do so, then remember Christ’s words, “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.”
Christ Distinguishes Between Two Types Or Degrees Of Denial
1. What Christ says in Luke 12:10 is a clarification of Luke 12:8-9. In verse 10, Christ distinguishes between two types or degrees of denial and teaches that one is forgivable whereas the other is not. There Christ says, “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.” (Luke 12:10, ESV)
  1. The words, “but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven”, have haunted some.
    1. Some who lived a particularly sinful life before turning from their sin and placing their faith in Christ have wondered, did I commit this unforgivable sin before believing? They wonder, in the midst of all of the terrible things I did, did I unknowingly commit this sin? Am I beyond God’s reach, therefore – beyond redemption and repair? And some who professed faith in Christ in the past then walked away from Christ for a time and afterward returned to him, will wonder if they committed this sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit during their time of rebellion. I’ve ministered to people who were tormented by this thought. They are professing believers who, when they look to the past, wonder if they have committed the unforgivable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
    2. I’m confident that this fear in the lives of those who are currently professing faith in Christ and living a life marked by repentance and progressive sanctification is the byproduct of a poor interpretation of this passage. Truly, I do not believe that someone who has committed this unforgivable sin will care at all about having committed it. So heard-hearted and closed off are they to Christ and his gospel, that the possibility of having committed this sin does not even cross their mind, much less, trouble their heart. The very fact that a professing Christian is worried about having committed this sin in the past is powerful evidence that they have not committed it. Now what they must do is interpret this passage properly and continue to grow in Christ and their sense of assurance of God’s love for them.
  2. So what did Christ mean when he said, “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.” The key to properly interpreting this verse is to pay attention to the context.
    1. The first question we should ask is, why did Christ say this here? Answer: to distinguish between different kinds or degrees of denial.
    2. Christ has just said, “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.
    3. The question then becomes, do all denials of Christ result in Christ’s denial of the denier before the angels of God in heaven? In other words, are all who have denied Christ or spoken a word against the Son of Man hopelessly lost? If Christ did not say anything more than what he said in verse 9, we might conclude that all who have ever denied Christ are forever lost and doomed. This saying of Jesus found in verse 9 would have troubled many had Christ not offered this word of clarification in verse 10.
      1. Think, for example, of the many in the crowd who were curious about Jesus, who heard of the mighty deeds he performed and encountered his teachings and his claims, who up to this point in Jesus’ ministry, were not willing to profess allegiance to him or confess him as Lord. Perhaps they had even spoken against Christ, the Son of Man. We know that many did this. Matthew 11:19 says, “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’” John 7:12 says, “And there was much muttering about [Jesus] among the people. While some said, ‘He is a good man,’ others said, ‘No, he is leading the people astray.” In John 9:24 some of the religious leaders spoke of Jesus saying, “We know that this man is a sinner.” All of these people had denied Christ. They had spoken words against the Son of Man. The question is, were these people who had denied Christ and spoken a word against the Son of Man eternally damned?
      2. Think, in particular, of the Apostle Paul. Think of who he was before Christ saved him. In Philippians 3:5 he tells us that he was a Pharisee. That little comment makes me wonder how much he knew about Jesus during Jesus’ earthly ministry. Did he ever see Jesus? Did he ever hear Jesus’ teachings? Or did he simply hear about Jesus from his fellow Pharisees? The Scriptures do not say (though 1 Timothy 1:13 gives us a hint). One thing we know for sure is that Paul the Pharisee was very much opposed to Jesus before his conversion. He even violently persecuted the church. When Christ appeared to him on the road to Damascus, he confronted him saying, “Saul, Saul (Saul being the Hebrew name for Paul) why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4). To persecute the church is to persecute Christ. Paul had denied Christ and persecuted him. The question is, were Paul (and others like him) hopelessly and eternally lost given Christ’s words, “the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God.”
      3. And what about Peter, the leader of the Apostles? In Luke 22 we learn that Peter denied Jesus three times on the night of Jesus’ arrest. The first to question him was a servant girl. She looked closely at him and said, “‘This man also was with [Jesus].’ But he denied it, saying, ‘Woman, I do not know him.’” (Luke 22:56–57, ESV). Christ had said, “the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God.” Peter denied Christ. The question is, was Peter hopelessly lost when he denied Christ?
    4. This saying of Jesus found in Luke 12:10 is, first of all, a clarification of what was said in verse 9. Here Christ distinguishes between two different kinds or degrees of denial. “Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven”, Christ says. Of course, repentance and faith in Christ is implied. The meaning is that those who turn from their sins to trust in Christ and openly acknowledge him as Lord will be forgiven even if they had denied Christ or spoken a word against the Son of Man in the past.
    5. Next, we find a warning. “But the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven,” Christ says. The question we must ask is, What does it mean to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit?
      1. To blaspheme is to speak against, revile, or defame.
      2. Clearly, there is a difference between speaking against, or blaspheming, the Son of Man, and speaking against, or blaspheming, the Holy Spirit. The account of this saying of Jesus in Matthew’s gospel is more detailed and clear. There Christ says, “Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come” (Matthew 12:31–32, ESV).
      3. What then is the difference between blaspheming the Son of Man and blaspheming the Holy Spirit? Why is the one more serious than the other? The answer is found in the immediate context of Luke’s gospel (and in the context of Matthew’s gospel where this same saying of Jesus is found).
        
        Do you remember the story was told in Luke 11:14-23? Christ had cast a demon out of a man, and “some of [the people] said, ‘He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons…” (Luke 11:15, ESV). “But [Christ], knowing their thoughts, said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Luke 11:17–20, ESV).
        
        When we considered this text many weeks ago. Then it was said that the “finger of God” is a reference to the Spirit of God. God the Father was in those days overthrowing the kingdom of Satan through Christ the Son and by the Spirit. It was by the finger of God, or the Spirit of God, that Christ cast out demons. It was by the Spirit that he worked signs and wonders. All of this is to remind us of the mighty deeds that God worked by the finger of God in the days of Moses when he redeemed Israel from slavery in Egypt. Israel was redeemed by the finger of God (see Exodus 8:19), that is to say by the mighty working of God’s Spirit. Signs and wonders were performed by the Spirit of God before Pharaoh and all the people, but Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not surrender to the Lord. He witnessed the signs performed through Moses by the Spirit of God, but he dismissed them, hardened his heart, and forever remained in rebellion and unbelief.
        
        The same thing happened in the ministry of Christ. Christ was working signs and wonders by the finger of God. By the Spirit, he healed the sick, calmed the stormy sea, fed the multitudes, raised the dead, and cast out demons as a sign that he is the Lord’s Messiah. Some acknowledged Christ to be the Messiah. Many denied him. But there were some who went a step further. When they were thoroughly confronted with the mighty deeds that Christ performed by the finger of God, that is to say, by the Spirit of God, and when they could not longer deny the reality of these miraculous deeds, they found themselves pressed to make a decision about Jesus and his claims. They were so opposed to him – so hard-hearted in their denial of him – that they attributed the signs and wonders performed by him by the power of the Holy Spirit to Satan.
        
        This is what it looks like to blaspheme the Spirit. To blaspheme the Spirit is not a sin that is committed unknowingly, or accidentally, or in ignorance. Many have spoken a word against the Son of Man out of ignorance only to repent and trust in Christ later, being moved (effectually called) by the Holy Spirit to do so. But those who blaspheme the Spirit are first fully confronted with the truth about Christ and exposed to the external testimony that the Spirit brings, and yet they persist in their rebellion against Christ and the Spirit, even attributing the works of the Spirit to Satan. These turn the light they have received through their encounter with the common operation of the Holy Spirit into darkness. At some point, these blasphemers of the Spirit are confirmed in their unbelief and thus never forgiven, not in this life or the life to come.
        
        Why is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit worse than blasphemy against the Son of Man? Is the Spirit of God greater than Christ, the Son of God? No. But it is the work of the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth about God and Christ. This he does in an effectual and inward way for all of God’s elect. We call this effectual calling or regeneration. But the Spirit also reveals Christ in a common way. The Spirit testified to Christ through the miracles Christ performed. Many thousands witnessed these miracles. Only some believed. Many rejected the testimony of the Holy Spirit. Some even blasphemed the Spirit. And the same is true today. The Spirit testifies to Christ in a common way through the preached word and the sacraments in the life of the church. This is not effectual calling that we are talking about, but the common operations of the Spirit. You see, it is one thing to reject Christ out of ignorance or to deny him in a moment of weakness, it is another thing to sit under the ministry of the word and to enjoy life in the church where these common operations of the Spirit are present (see Second London Confession 10.4), to remain in sin and rebellion, and then to knowingly and willingly blaspheme the Spirit, turning whatever light you have received into darkness.
        
        When Christ said, “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”, it was a warning to all who encounter these common operations of the Spirit. To encounter them and to remain in unbelief is a very dangerous thing.
        
        The Hebrews who were alive in the days of Moses, who witnessed the signs and wonders worked through Moses by the finger of God leading to their redemption, were in danger of commiting this unforgivable sin.
        
        The Jews who were alive in the days of Jesus, who witnessed the signs and wonders that he worked by the finger of God in fulfillment of the Scriptures, were especially in danger of committing this sin. These common operations of the Spirit had to be interpreted and required the response of faith and obedience. Some believed in Christ. Many did not. Some even blasphemed the Holy Spirit. It was to those who remained in disbelief that Steven said, “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you” (Acts 7:51, ESV).
        
        But is the unforgivable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit a danger to us today? I say, yes, it is. It is especially a danger to those who have spent time in the covenant community, who have enjoyed the testimony of the Spirit to Christ in the word preached and through the administration of the sacraments. To encounter these common operations of the Spirit and yet to remain in unbelief, sin, and rebellion against God is a very dangerous thing.
        
        Though I do believe that Hebrews 6:4-6 was addressed especially to Jews who were familiar with the Old Testament, had professed faith in Christ, and were tempted to return to Judaism, I do believe it applies to Christians today. There the Apostle warns us with these words: “For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt” (Hebrews 6:4–6, ESV).
      4. I have said that Luke 12:10 is a clarification and a warning. It is a clarification because Christ here distinguishes between different kinds or degrees of denial.
        
        In a moment of weakness, Peter blasphemed Christ when he denied him three times on the night before his crucifixion. But never did Peter blaspheme the Holy Spirit. No, the Spirit effectually called Peter to faith and repentance before he denied Christ. And Christ restored Peter after his denial. His denial of Christ was driven, not by a thoughtful and willful rejection of Jesus as the Messiah, but by a momentary weakness involving the fear of man. Although Peter denied Christ and these people who attributed Christ’s works to Satan denied Christ (see Luke 11:14-16), these denials were of a different kind. Peter blasphemed the Son of Man and was forgiven. But these people blasphemed the Holy Spirit, were confirmed in their unbelief, and never forgiven.
        
        Paul also blasphemed Christ when he rejected him and persecuted his church. But listen to how Paul spoke of that time in his life. He wrote to Timothy, saying, “Though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief…” (1 Timothy 1:13, ESV). In other words, Paul’s blasphemy was directed towards the Son of Man, not the full testimony of the Holy Spirit. Paul’s blasphemy was rooted in ignorance.
        
        Things were different with Judus, though. When Judas betrayed Jesus to the authorities, it was not driven by fear or ignorance. No, his decision was rooted in unbelief. It was cold and calculated. It was a thoughtful and wilful denial of Christ. Judas saw and heard everything the other disciples of Christ saw and heard. He was exposed to the full weight and glory of the external witness of the Holy Spirit to Christ, and yet he rejected it all, knowingly and willingly. Judas did not only blaspheme Christ, he blasphemed the testimony of the Spirit. Never did he repent. He was not forgiven in this life or the life to come.
      5. This warning that Christ delivers to us must be taken seriously. We must not toy around with Jesus in the church. We must not toy around with the Spirit’s common operations in our mist, lest we trample the Son of God underfoot (see Hebrews 10:29) and blaspheme the Spirit to our eternal shame. Instead, we must recieve with meekness the implanted word of God which is able to save our souls (see James 1:21), walk by the Spirit and put to death the desires of the flesh (see Galatians 5:16), and “work out [our] own salvation with fear and trembling, [knowing] it is God who works in [us], both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12–13, ESV).
Christ Will Preserve Those Who Are His Even In The Face Of Persecution
1. I have not left much time to comment on Luke 12:11-13. The meaning is simple, I think. Christ has warned us that those who deny him before men will be denied by him before the angels of God in heaven. He has assured us that those who acknowledge him before men will be acknowledged before th angels of God in heaven. He then offered a word of clarification by distinguishing between different degrees of denial. Here in verses 11-13 Christ offers a word of encouragement and comfort. “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” (Luke 12:11–12, ESV).
2. Here we have another reason not to fear man or to deny the Son of Man. Christ will be with his people to sustain them through the trial. More than this, the Holy Spirit, who resides with every true disciple of Christ, will be with us to teach us in that very hour what we ought to say.
Conclusion
1. When all is considered, those who are friends of Jesus have every good reason to acknowledge Christ before men and not deny him.
2. The question I wish to press you with as we conclude is this: have you acknowledged Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior? Do you believe in him in the heart and have you told someone? If you have, soon, you will need to say that Jesus is Lord through the waters of baptism. After that, you will need to say that Jesus is Lord by your approach to the Lord’s Table. And you will need to acknowledge Christ as your Lord as you live in the world.
3. The truth is, some of you might be tempted to hide your allegiance to Christ being driven by a fear of man. May the Lord grant you the fear of God, true faith in Christ, and the boldness to stand before men and boldly proclaim that Jesus is Lord! Indeed, God has promised to never leave or forsake us. “So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5–7, ESV)

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Luke 12:8-12, Posted by Joe. Comments Off

Jul 24
7

Catechetical Sermon: How Does Christ Execute The Office Of A Prophet?, Baptist Catechism 27

Baptist Catechism 27

Q. 27. How doth Christ execute the office of a prophet?

A. Christ executeth the office of a prophet, in revealing to us, by his Word and Spirit, the will of God for our salvation. (John 1:18; 14:26; 15:15)

Scripture Reading: John 15:12-17

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.” (John 15:12–17, ESV)

*****

Introduction

We are entering into a wonderful section of our catechism wherein the work of Christ is considered through the lens of his threefold office. An office is a work to be done. And with the help of Baptist Catechism 26, we learned that Christ fulfilled three offices: the offices of a prophet, priest, and king. Here in Baptist Catechism 27 we turn our attention to the prophetic office of Christ.

Consider four things about the prophetic work of Christ the Redeemer:

First, Jesus Christ was not the first prophet of God.

Hebrews 1:1 says, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets…” So, before the birth of Jesus Christ God appointed many prophets. Moses is to be regarded as very great. Deuteronomy 34:10 says, “And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face…” God spoke to Moses face to face, as it were. And Moses was faithful to communicate the word of God to the people.

John the Baptist, the relative of Jesus, and his forerunner, was also a prophet. In fact, he is to be regarded as the greatest of the prophets of old. Why? Because he had the distinct privilege of announcing the arrival of the kingdom of God. He preached, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2, ESV). He was blessed to point at Jesus and to say, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29, ESV). In a sense, this is what all of the prophets did. In different ways, they pointed forward to Christ and his kingdom. But John the Baptist was blessed to announce his arrival and to prepare the way for his ministry.

What was the job of these prophets of old? What work did they do? In brief, they declared the word of God to the people. Most often, they preached the law and the gospel. They would apply the law of Moses to the people and urge them to turn from their sins and to God. So then, the prophets were preachers. Sometimes, they would foretell the future. Being inspired by God, the prophets would sometimes warn of impending judgment. And as I have just said, the prophets would also point forward to the Messiah, the arrival of his kingdom, and to the New Covenant that he would mediate.

The second thing I would like you to consider is that long ago it was promised a great prophet would one day arise from within Israel.

Deuteronomy 18:15 is important. Here we find the words of Moses. He spoke to the people of Israel, saying, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers — it is to him you shall listen —” (Deuteronomy 18:15, ESV). As I have just said, many prophets would arise within Israel from Moses’ day onward. But in this passage, Moses speaks of “a prophet” and says, “it is to him you shall listen.” From that day forward the people of Israel were to live with a sense of expectation and wonder as they awaited the arrival of this great prophet.

This leads to our third consideration concerning Christ’s prophetic office. Though Jesus Christ was not the first prophet, he is by far the greatest of the prophets.

I’ll start by reminding you of the story found in Matthew 17:1-8, Mark 9:2-8, and Luke 9:28-36 about Jesus being transfigured up on the mountain in front of Peter, James, and John. These three disciples of Jesus saw him glorified in front of them. And who appeared with Jesus? It was none other than the great prophets of old, Moses and Elijah. And do not forget what God said. In Matthew 17:5 we read, “Behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him’” (Matthew 17:5–7, ESV). So, over a thousand years earlier Moses spoke to Israel, saying, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers — it is to him you shall listen —” (Deuteronomy 18:15, ESV), and up on the mountain, Jesus was glorified with Moses and Elijah at his side and God said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” The message could not be more clear. Jesus Christ is the great prophet of whom Moses spoke (see Acts 3:22–26). Jesus is like Moses in that he is a prophet and a mediator of a covenant — Moses of the Old and Jesus of the New. Jesus is not like Moses in that Moses was a servant in God’s house whereas Christ is the Son of God. Moses was a great prophet of God, but Jesus Christ is a much greater prophet.

Listen to Hebrews 1:1-2: “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world” (Hebrews 1:1–2, ESV).

Hebrews 3:5-6 says, “Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope” (Hebrews 3:5–6, ESV).

Prophets speak to God’s people on behalf of God. In other words, prophets reveal God and God’s will for our salvation. Many faithful prophets lived during and before the time of Christ, but Jesus Christ is a prophet of a different kind. He is not a servant in God’s house; he is God’s Son. In other words, God did not merely give Christ the words to speak to his people; Christ is the eternal Word of God incarnate.

Listen to John 1:1-3: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:1–3, ESV). John 1:14 then says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14, ESV). And John 1:18 says, “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known” (John 1:18, ESV).

Can you see why I have said that Jesus Christ is a prophet of a different kind? He is no mere man speaking the words of God to the people of God. No, he is the eternal Son or Word of God incarnate. One of the key purposes of his mission was to reveal the Father to us and to make known the way of our salvation. This he has done supremely and most perfectly.

Listen to the Word of Christ in John 15:15: “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15, ESV). Listen to the words of Christ in John 17:6-8. He prayed to God, saying, “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me” (John 17:6–8, ESV).

The prophets of old spoke the word of God to the people of God as servants. Jesus Christ is a prophet of a different order or kind. He speaks the word of God to us as the eternal Son who came down from the Father. His word is the supreme word. His word is the final word. All prophecies uttered before and after his incarnation are from him (through inspiration) and have reference to him (he is the fulfillment).

The fourth and final thing I would like you to consider about Christ’s prophetic work is that in this office, Christ the Redeemer meets our need.

If we are to know God truly, God must reveal himself to us. How much more do we stand in need of God’s revelation now that we have fallen into sin? Adam was created with true knowledge, remember? But now that we have fallen, our minds are darkened because of sin (see Ephesians 4:18). We need God’s word if we are to know God and the way of salvation. Jesus Christ is the Word of God. He reveals to us, by His Word and Spirit, the will of God for our salvation, our catechism says.

The little phrase, “by His Word and Spirit”, is interesting. By it we are reminded of another way in which Christ is greater than any other prophet. The prophets of old were empowered by God to speak the word of God. But they did not have the power to enable men and women to understand or believe the words they spoke. But Christ reveals to us, by His Word and Spirit, the will of God for our salvation. Not only does he have the power to deliver the message, he also has the power to open the minds and change the hearts of God’s elect to make them willing and able to believe his word. This he does by sending his Word and Spirit. The little phrase, “by His Word and Spirit”, prepares us for what we will learn in Baptist Catechism 33 and 34 regarding effectual calling.

*****

Conclusion

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Posted by Joe. Comments Off

Jun 24
30

Sermon: What Do You Fear?, Luke 12:4-7

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)

*****

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.
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.”
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.

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Posted by Joe. Comments Off

Jun 24
23

Sermon: Beware Of Hypocrisy, Luke 12:1-3

Old Testament Reading: Jeremiah 17:5–13

“Thus says the LORD: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds. Like the partridge that gathers a brood that she did not hatch, so is he who gets riches but not by justice; in the midst of his days they will leave him, and at his end he will be a fool. A glorious throne set on high from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary. O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you shall be put to shame; those who turn away from you shall be written in the earth, for they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living water.” (Jeremiah 17:5–13, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Luke 12:1-3

“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. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.” (Luke 12:1–3, ESV)

*****

Introduction
1. As we prepare to give our focused attention to Luke 12:1-3, there are a few observations that would be helpful to make by way of introduction.
  1. First of all, we should remember that, in the narrative of Luke’s gospel, Jesus is now heading with his disciples toward Jerusalem. This was stressed in Luke 9. When Jesus was transfigured on the mountain he spoke with Elijah and Moses about his “departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem” (Luke 9:31, ESV). This, of course, was a reference to Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension to the Father. In Luke 9:51 we were told that “he set his face to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51, ESV). And Jesus was clear with his disciples about what would happen there. In Luke 9:22, Christ 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.” In Luke 9:44 Christ spoke to them again, saying, “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.” Now, it will not be until Luke 19:28 that Jesus enters Jerusalem. So, with every passage we consider between Luke 9 and 19, it must remembered that Jesus is heading towards Jerusalem with his disciples and that he made it clear he would suffer there and be put to death by the elders and chief priests and scribes and be raised on the third day.
  2. Secondly, we should remember that in the previous passage, Christ entered into confrontation with a group of Pharisees and lawyers. Christ pronounced three “woes” upon the Pharisees and three “woes” upon the lawyers. At the end of that passage, 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).
    1. I have reminded you about Jesus’ resolve to head towards Jerusalem, knowing he would suffer and be killed, and his confrontation with the Pharisees, lawyers, and scribes, so that you might imagine the tension the disciples of Christ must have felt. The atmosphere was charged with emotion, no doubt. The disciples must have felt a sense of excitement, wonderment, and even fear and trepidation.
  3. The third observation to make about our text, by way of introduction, is that Jesus here turns his attention to his disciples to train them. In Luke 12:1 we read, “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’” (Luke 12:1, ESV).
    1. In the previous passage, we considered Jesus’ relatively private encounter with the Pharisees and lawyers. Now we know that outside were many thousands of people. These had gathered around Jesus. They wanted to hear his teaching and to see his miraculous deeds. But even with these many thousands around Jesus, pressing in upon him, even trampling each other, Christ focuses his attention on his disciples to instruct them. He spoke to his disciples – especially the twelve Apostles, and probably the 70 – saying, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.”
    2. It should be noted that Jesus’ attention remains on his disciples all the way through Luke 12:53. It is in Luke 12:54 that Christ turns his attention to the crowds. There we read, “He also said to the crowds…” So, in this section of Luke’s gospel, which runs from Luke 12:1-53, we find a series of teachings directed at the disciples of Jesus.
    3. Clearly, Christ was concerned with preparing his disciples for the future. And for these men, the future would be filled with difficulty. The responsibility of leading Christ’s church would fall on the shoulders of twelve of these men. The seventy, no doubt, would also have a significant role to play as they served as witnesses and leaders within the primitive church. These disciples of Jesus would need to be well-trained and well-prepared. And so Christ spoke to them first, even as this great multitude pressed in upon him.
    4. These words that Christ spoke to his Apostles and disciples are very precious. While it is true that these teachings are for all believers, I do believe they have special relevance for leaders within Christ’s church, for here Christ addresses problems and pressures that are especially encountered by leaders within Christ’s church. First, the Apostles, prophets, and evangelists of the primitive church would experience these problems and pressures. Soon, it would be pastors or shepherds and teachers who would need to be especially on guard against these things (see Ephesians 4:11-12).
      1. What does Christ warn against in this section? In 12:1-3, Christ warns against hypocrisy. All Christians must avoid hypocrisy. It is especially important for leaders within Christ’s church to beware of it, given the great damage that a hypocritical leader can cause. In 12:4-7 Christ warns against the fear of persecution and death. While persecution does sometimes fall on Christians in a general way, historically, it has been the leaders of Christ’s church who bear the brunt of it. In 12:8-12 Christ warns against the fear of man. Again, while all Christians must beware of the fear of man, pastors, elders, and teachers must be especially on guard, lest the fear of man cause them to pull back from the faithful performance of their duties. In 12:13-21 Christ warns against covetousness – a danger to all, and especially to ministers. In 12:22-31 he warns against anxiety over the cares of this life, a snare to all, and especially debilitating to ministers. In 12:32-34 Christ warns against chasing after worldly treasures, a distraction to all, especially ministers. In 12:35-48 Christ warns his people, and especially his ministers, to be dressed for action and to be about the work that Christ has called them to do. Finally, in 12:49-53, Christ warns that he did not come to bring peace on earth (now), but rather, division. All Christians must be prepared to sojourn in these last days marked by conflict and division. Christ’s ministers must be particularly prepared to lead Christ’s church through days such as these.
      2. I trust you can see, even with this cursory overview of Luke 12:1-53, that Christ directed this teaching at leaders within the church, but that everything he says to the leaders (beginning with the twelve Apostles) has application to every follower of Jesus Christ.
Beware Of Hypocrisy
1. Let us now turn our attention to Luke 12:1-3 wherein Christ warns against the evil of hypocrisy. There we read, “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’” (Luke 12:1–2, ESV).
  1. “Beware”, Christ says. So here he warns us about a future danger. Beware, pay attention, keep on the lookout, and be on guard, is the command.
  2. “Beware of the leaven”, Christ says. Leaven is a substance (baking powder or yeast) that causes bread to rise. Just a small bit of leaven mixed into a ball of dough will cause that bread to rise. Leaven, though very small and invincible once mixed in, has a dramatic effect.
    1. Leaven, as you may know, is used in the Scriptures as a metaphor for the contaminating and negative effect that sinful people can have upon individual Christians and churches.
      1. It is in the context of church discipline and the need for the church in Corinth to excommunicate an unrepentant sinner, that Paul wrote, “Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?” (1 Corinthians 5:6, ESV). The meaning is clear. Paul was warning Corinth that if this sin and this unrepentant and heinous sinner were not dealt with and cast out of the church, this man and his vile and unrepentant sin would contaminate the entire congregation.
      2. Paul also uses the metaphor of leaven in his letter to the Galatians. There the problem was not immoral behavior, but false teaching. In Galatians 5:7 Paul writes, “You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is.”
      3. This metaphor of leaven representing sin undoubtedly has its roots in the Passover feast that Old Covenant Israel was commanded to observe from the Exodus onwards. Exodus 12:15 says, “Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel” (Exodus 12:15, ESV). So, once a year the people of Israel were to remove all the leaven from their houses and they were to eat only unleavened bread for seven days. This ceremony was meant to remind Israel of the danger of sin. The ceremony was to encourage them to not only purge leaven from their houses, but to purge sin from their own lives, personally, and to be on guard concerning the contaminating effects of sin and sinful people within the community.
    2. Dear brothers and sisters, you must beware of the leaven of sin.
      1. Do not harbor secret sins thinking they will have no effect on you or others. Sin always has an effect. Sin always brings with it consequences. Just as a little pinch of leaven worked into a ball of dough will always cause it to dramatically rise, so too a little bit of sin will have a dramatic effect on your life. Do away with the sin, dear brothers and sisters. Sweep it all away. Remove it all from the house of your soul before it rises up to consume you.
      2. And do not ignore the leavening effect that the sins of others can have on you. “Do not be deceived”, Paul says, “Bad company ruins good morals” (1 Corinthians 15:33, ESV). This is a clear warning about the influence that others can have on you. Brothers and sisters, who are you allowing to influence you? Consider the music you listen to. Consider the media you digest. Consider who you spend time with and allow to have an impact on your mind and heart. As followers of Jesus, we are called to live in the world. We are not called to avoid all interaction with the ungodly. We are called to be salt and light, remember. But we should be very careful about the kind of interaction we have with the ungodly. Some interactions should be avoided altogether because they are unnecessary or inherently sinful. But when we do interact with the ungodly, we must be resolved to have a leavening influence upon them (for the sake of Christ and the furtherance of his kingdom), and refuse to allow them to have a leavening influence on us to the detriment of our devotion to Christ. “Beware of the leaven”, Christ says.
  3. Here in our text, Christ specifically commands his disciples to “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees…” The meaning is that the disciples of Christ were to be careful not to allow the Pharisees, neither their teaching nor their way of life (which Christ had just condemned), to influence them. In particular, Christ warned his disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, especially their hypocrisy.
    1. What is hypocrisy? A hypocrite is one who pretends, play-acts or makes an outward show while hiding the truth concerning who they are.
      1. To be clear, there are religious and non-religious hypocrites. I do believe that our culture is filled with non-religious hypocrites. While these have no interest in organized religion, they love to appear virtuous, and so they virtue signal, while concealing their sinfulness.
      2. But these Pharisees were religious hypocrites. They hid behind the mask of their external religious practices. They wore religious clothes. They performed religious duties. They participated in religious ceremonies. They spoke religiously. But it was all for show. This is why Christ condemned them in Luke 11:39, 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!” And in 11:42 he pronounced “woes” upon them. “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it” (Luke 11:39–44, ESV).
      3. These Pharisees were true hypocrites. They were two-faced. They were disingenuous. In public, they presented themselves as holy and pious, but it was not true. It was all for show. In reality, they were corrupt and sinful. This was such a problem amongst the Pharisees that Christ sternly warned his disciples to be on guard lest the hypocrisy of the Pharisees infect them.
      4. The Pharisees were religious leaders. It should be remembered that many of these disciples of Jesus would be religious leaders too. Many of these disciples would be tasked with leading in religious matters after Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. Christianity is a religion, friends. It involves religious practices and requires religious devotion. The trouble is not with religion. Notice Christ does not say, Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is religion. No, the thing that warns against is religious hypocrisy.
    2. Brothers and sisters, I must exhort you to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Be on the lookout for hypocrisy. And while it is important to be on the lookout to be sure that hypocrisy does not infect the church, it is more crucial that you guard your own soul. Beware of hypocrisy.
      1. I do believe the best way to test for hypocrisy is to ask yourself the question, am I one person, or are there two, three, or four versions of me?
        
        Now to be clear, I am not suggesting that we must act in the same way in every realm of life. For example, when we come to worship it is right that we come with an attitude of serious joy, reverence, and awe. And when we go home to spend time with family and friends, it is not wrong to adjust our demeanor to one of light-hearted playfulness. Our behavior and demeanor should adjust to the various settings and circumstances of life. There is a time to be serious and there is a time to play. Adjusting your demeanor to fit the setting or situation is not hypocrisy – it is good and right.
        
        A hypocrite’s change is much more radical and extreme. Hypocrisy has to do with the heart and with matters of morality. The hypocrite will pretend to be holy and just in public while living an unholy and unjust life in private. A hypocrite will pretend to be a lover of God and a lover of man in public, but in reality, have no love for God or others in the secrecy of their heart and privacy of their home.
        
        Hypocrites will be substantially different people in different places depending upon the setting and the company – they will act one way in worship, another way in private, another way at work, and yet another way at home. If someone were able to observe them in each of these realms, they would think, this person does not live one life, but two, or three, or four. Here in private, we see the true person. But everywhere else, he is a fake.
      2. As we are thinking about the sin of hypocrisy, I believe it is important to say that sinning does not make a person a hypocrite. We all sin. We will continue to sin until Christ perfects us in glory. When a Christian sins, that does not make him a hypocrite. But if a professing Christian goes on living in sin, does not turn from it, and presents himself as a pious person in public, there we have a hypocrite.
        
        A hypocrite will be drunk on Saturday nights and in worship on Sunday mornings.
        
        A hypocrite will use foul language Monday through Friday and use that same mouth to praise God on Sunday.
        
        A hypocrite will look at evil images with his eyes during the week, and with those same eyes look upon Christ signified in the bread and wine and the beauty of Christ’s redeemed bride, the church, on the Lord’s Day.
        
        The hypocrite will listen to foul music and foul messages with his ears and ponder them with his mind during the week, and with the same ears and mind take in the Word of God when it is read and preached on the Lord’s Day.
        
        The hypocrite is one who claims to be a son or daughter of God and yet lives like a son or daughter of the devil.
        
        Now, some might be wondering, just how habitual does my sin – my drunkenness, my use of foul or demanding language, my taking in of evil images, or my consumption of filthy content – need to be to push me over the line so that I am no longer a Christian sinner who is being sanctified and into the category of a hypocrite. I will tell you, if that is the first question that comes to your mind, I am concerned for you.
        
        I have already acknowledged that there is a great difference between a true Christian who is, from the heart, battling against sin but is sometimes (or even, often) failing and a hypocrite who is living a double life and does not seem to care. Where is that line that separates the saint who is being sanctified progressively and the hypocrite? God knows. And you probably know too.
        
        But the question that a true follower of Jesus Christ will ask is not how close can I get to that line (wherever it is) and still be regarded as a Christian and not a hypocrite, but rather, Lord, would you help me to run as far away from hypocrisy as possible? Lord, make me one person. Lord, purify my heart and mind so that my devotion to you is pure, sincere, and undivided (see 1 Corinthians 7:35 & 2 Corinthians 11:3). This will be the request of every true follower of Christ.
        
        Friends, true followers of Jesus Christ will have Christ as Lord. And if Christ is our Lord, he will be the Lord of our entire being. He will be our Lord and King in every place that we go, in every circumstance we are in, no matter the company. This does not mean that we do not act differently when we are in worship, at work, and at play. It does mean that Christ is always Lord, though. Christ is our Lord when we worship. He is to be Lord when we work. He is to be Lord when we play. He must even be Lord of our thoughts and emotions, our words spoken in private, and our private deeds. When the true follower of Christ sins against the Lord in any of these realms, it will displease them and grieve them and result in repentance. But the hypocrite will not care. The hypocrite will only care to appear virtuous and holy in the eyes of others. The hypocrite only cares about not being caught.
        
        There is one more thing to say about hypocrisy before we move on in our text. This has been hinted at already, but it must be stated directly and clearly. Hypocrisy is not merely about behavior. In other words, the remedy to hypocrisy is not to try hard to behave better no matter where you are. Friends, if you are a hypocrite, you will not make it very far with this approach, for the roots of your hypocrisy go far deeper than your behavior. The truth is that hypocrisy begins in the heart.
        
        These Pharisees were religious hypocrites, you see, not because they lacked self-control, but because their hearts were wicked and their minds were corrupt. You see, it was when they were in private, or under pressure, or when their reputations or prosperity was on the line, that their true self emerged. Typically, while in public, they were able to hide all of their vileness behind the mask of religious garb, religious talk, and religious ceremony. The problem was not that they needed to act more consistently according to their true natures. No! The problem was that their natures were corrupt. They were not pretending while in private, you see! That is when their true self emerged! The masks came off when they were in private! And the masks would go on again when it was time to appear in public. Christ was right. They were cups and dishes that were clean on the outside but filthy within.
        
        There are only two solutions to hypocrisy, and one of them is no real solution at all.
        
        Some will try to avoid hypocrisy by being “authentic”. You have probably heard people talk this way. After behaving badly they will say, this is who I am. I’m not going to pretend to be something I’m not. I’m no hypocrite. And while it might seem better to be “authentic” than hypocritical, it will not prove to be better in the end. At least the hypocrite is somewhat held back from sin by his selfish desire to appear righteous in the eyes of others. The one who prides himself in his “authenticity” sins more openly and freely and pretends that it is somehow virtuous – after all, at least he is not a mask-wearing, two-faced, hypocrite! The truth is, both the hypocritical sinner and the “authentic” sinner will stand before God and be judged for their sin on the last day, unless they repent and believe upon Christ. Those who are “authentic” may avoid the charge of hypocrisy, but they will pay for all of their “authentic” sins on judgment day, if not found in Christ. Authenticity is no real solution.
        
        The only good and true solution to hypocrisy is found in Christ. The reasons for this are threefold. The first two have to do with the authentic work God does in his people in Christ Jesus. The third is about the Christian’s claim or confession.
        
        First of all, the problem of hypocrisy is remedied by Christ through regeneration. God, by his grace alone, regenerates his people when he effectually calls them by his word and Spirit to make them willing and able to believe in Christ. The Christian life begins with regeneration. It begins when God, by his grace, gives his people a new heart and mind. Ezekiel 36:26 is about regeneration. There God says. “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules” (Ezekiel 36:26–27, ESV). As has been said, the real source of hypocrisy is the heart. The hypocrite wants to appear righteous or virtuous, but his heart is not righteous or virtuous. His heart is deceitful and wicked. It drives him to think, speak, and do wicked things. And so men, in their hypocrisy, put on masks to hide their wickedness. But God solves the problem of hypocrisy in Christ Jesus by regenerating his people to make them willing and able to believe upon Christ and to keep his commandments. What the hypocrite needs is not better morals, but a new heart and mind, and that is what Christ gives. This is what the Scriptures call being born again (see John 3).
        
        Secondly, the problem of hypocrisy is remedied by Christ through sanctification. Sanctification is growth in holiness. As has been said, in the beginning of the Christian life, God regenerates sinners by his Word and Spirit to make them willing and able to believe upon Christ. He gives them a new heart so that their impulse is no longer set towards sin. Christians strive to obey God because it is the core impulse of their renewed heart. Christians are able to obey God because they have been set free from bondage to sin and the corruption of their natures. But it is no secret that Christians still sin. The remaining corruptions of the flesh war against the Spirit (see Galatians 5:17), and sometimes the flesh wins. But God has promised to sanctify his people. This means he will renew them further. He will renew them in the whole man after the image of God, and enable them more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness (see Baptist Catechism 38 and Second London Confession 13). A Christian who, by the grace of God, has been regenerated and is being sanctified through faith in Christ and by God’s Word and Spirit, might struggle with sin and fall into, perhaps even severely for a time. But this does not mean he is a hypocrite. It means he is a sinner who is saved and is being sanctified by the grace of God alone through faith in Christ alone.
        
        The only good and true solution to hypocrisy is found in Christ. The first two reasons I have given have to do with the work that God does in the Christian – he regenerates them to bring them to faith, and he sanctifies them progressively. The third reason has to do with the Christian’s claim or confession. At the very heart of the Christian faith is the belief that we have sinned against God, that we do not have a righteousness of our own, that we cannot justify ourselves before God by our good works or lawkeeping, that we stand in need of cleaning and renewal, and that our only hope is found in God and in the Christ he has sent. In other words, the true Christian is happy to confess that we bring nothing to the table and that Christ is everything. Our right standing before God is all of grace. Even the good works we do are enabled by God’s grace. There is no room for boasting, therefore (see Ephesians 2:8-10). And there is no need for masks.
        
        Here is something I want you to see. It was actually the false beliefs and teachings of the Pharisees that produced their hypocrisy. Where did they look for their right standing before God? They looked to the law of God and to themselves and they taught others to do the same. The trouble is, they could not keep the law because their hearts were wicked. Their only option was to hide their sin behind their religious garb, their superficial ceremony, and their pompous pride.
        
        And religion that denies Christ, the new birth that only he can give, and the forgiveness of sins that only he can bring, is bound to produce hypocrisy in its adherents. Christless religion leaves men and women dead in their sins. Christless religion leaves men and women to pursue salvation through self-righteous and self-empowered law-keeping. Men and women who practice religion such as this will have to find a way to hide their corrupt hearts and their sinful deeds. Like Adam and Eve, in vain they will sow fig leaves together in an attempt to hide the guilt of their sin and their shame. But we know that the only solution is to be clothed by God with the righteousness of Christ, washed in his blood, and renewed by his Spirit.
2. We will consider verses 2 and 3 rather quickly. Here Christ demonstrates how utterly foolish the hypocritical, self-righteous, and Christless religion of the Pharisees is. There he says, “Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.”
  1. The meaning is very plain. Not much explanation is required. In brief, Christ warned his disciples against hypocrisy by reminding them that on the day of judgment, everything will be laid open and bare, and every mask will be removed.
  2. This hypocritical approach to religion may have fooled some people for a time, but the truth will be known on the last day when “the LORD search[es] the heart and test[s] the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds” (Jeremiah 17:10, ESV).
  3. The reality of the final judgment is a good reason to have nothing to do with hypocritical, superficial religion. A religion that merely hides your sin, conceals the corruption of your heart, a gives the impression of righteousness to others, will do you no good at all when you stand before God on the last day and are judged by him. Do not forget that “the LORD search[es] the heart and test[s] the mind…” He will “give [to] every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds” (Jeremiah 17:10, ESV). On that last day, “Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.”
Conclusion
1. Friends, our only hope is Christ. Christ-less religion will do you no good at all. If you hope to stand in the judgment, to pass through it, to be openly acquitted and acknowledged to be a child of God, you must have faith in Christ. You must be regenerated by him, cleansed by him, and clothed in his righteousness. This is the purpose for which Christ came. He did not come to provide us with some pathetic and superficial religion only capable of hiding or sins from the eyes of our fellow man and producing nothing but hypocrisy. No, he came to atone for the sins of his people and to reconcile us to God through “his body of flesh by his death, in order to present [us] holy and blameless and above reproach before him” (Colossians 1:22, ESV).

Posted in Sermons, Joe Anady, Posted by Joe. Comments Off

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Old Testament Reading: Jeremiah 17:5–10

New Testament Reading: Luke 12:22-34

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Baptist Catechism 29

Scripture Reading: Matthew 2:1–6

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Old Testament Reading: Ecclesiastes 5:8–20; 12:13–14

New Testament Reading: Luke 12:13-21

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Baptist Catechism 28

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 7:11–28

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Introduction

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Conclusion

Old Testament Reading: Daniel 3:8-30

New Testament Reading: Luke 12:8-12

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Baptist Catechism 27

Scripture Reading: John 15:12-17

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Introduction

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Conclusion

Old Testament Reading: Psalm 86

New Testament Reading: Luke 12:4-7

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Old Testament Reading: Jeremiah 17:5–13

New Testament Reading: Luke 12:1-3

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