Jesus Teaches on Important Issues
Book of Luke Chapter 12
Our lesson today spends some time on “fear”.
In the Scriptures, there is but one creature of God that is said to be void of fear.
Job 41:33 Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear.
Job 41:34 He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride.
This is the Leviathan, king of the sinners, and He only fears the God of Heaven and Earth.
God is very blunt here when He says that if no man will approach the Leviathan, which is a creation of God, how is it that any man can say they have no fear of God?
Psa 76:7 Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?
There is Natural Fear, there is Sinful Fear, and there is Holy Fear.
Every person upon this earth has to deal with natural fear and sinful fear.
Only the “Born Again” child of God deals with Holy Fear!
Natural fear entered our world with the fall of Adam when Adam tried to hide himself from the presence of the Lord.
Gen 3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
Once Adam felt the fear of sin and the death of sin, he began to understand that perfect love casts out that fear!
1Jn_4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Our greatest blessing comes when the Love of God rids us of the fears of this world.
Luk 1:70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
Luk 1:71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
Luk 1:72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
Luk 1:73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,
Luk 1:74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,
Luk 1:75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
*Luk 12:8 Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:
Luk 12:9 But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.
We should not forget that God is “omniscient”.
God knows every little detail of everything that is happening in our lives.
God is also “omnipotent”.
God can control any event that is happening to each believer, no matter how large or how small.
This is why there are normally good things that come out of every bad thing that happens to every believer.
Every characteristic of God is so wonderful that we have doubts about the reality of them until we come to know God in a personal way.
It is the love of God that brings us to reality.
Nothing can separate us from the love of God: Rom 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Rom 8:36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Rom 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Rom 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Rom 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
When we are not loyal to our loving God as He is to us, the Lord Jesus reminds us of the consequences.
1) We will be judged before angels. The angels who are totally loyal to their Creator will witness our acceptance or our rejection by God.
2) This judgment will come from the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for our sins, so the door of Heaven is opened for us. In all His time upon this earth, the Lord Jesus never sinned. He is the only One who can judge our actions of disloyalty or our steadfastness as a Christian.
Mat 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
Mat 25:32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
Mat 25:33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
God has given His Son, Jesus, the right to judge us because He died in our place.
Joh 5:22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
Joh 5:23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
The basis of our judgment is our attitude toward our Savior!
Have we confessed our love and our loyalty to Jesus Christ before the world?
This does not mean every time we stumble, we can be forgiven, but it does mean do we love the Lord enough to be loyal to Him.
Jesus will confess us before Heaven’s Angels and tell all angels that we belong to Him and are true witnesses of Him.
If we deny Jesus Christ, we shall be denied before our Holy God and the Angels of God.
Angels do exactly what God says for them to do.
*Luk 12:10 And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.
Because the Lord Jesus is so full of “GRACE,” He will forgive anyone who has spoken against Him. He knows we are born with a rebellious spirit. If we repent, Jesus will forgive us.
Look at the Apostle Paul as an example.
1Ti 1:13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
BUT if we blaspheme the Holy Spirit will not receive forgiveness!
We cannot attribute the work of Jesus Christ to Satan.
When we deny the Lord Jesus over and over again till the day we die, we are showing hatred for the work the Lord Jesus Christ did for our salvation. Remembering that Our Lord Jesus worked with the power of the Holy Spirit.
Act 7:51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.
It is the Holy Spirit from which we draw our strength as Christians.
Our prayer life depends on the Holy Spirit.
Our relationship with God depends on the Holy Spirit.
Our strength to be a usable servant to the Lord depends on the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the One who called us.
The Holy Spirit is the One who convicts us.
The Holy Spirit is the One who guides us through life.
The Holy Spirit will teach us what to say when we do not know what to say.
The Lord Jesus is not saying all these things to cause us to fear. He is telling us all these things to give us encouragement.
We will suffer persecution as Christians, and we need to be encouraged.
*Luk 12:11 And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say:
Luk 12:12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.
When we are called out for our faith in Jesus Christ, we should not be concerned.
In fact, we should be proud that someone can see Jesus in us.
The Lord Jesus would not include this in the Scriptures if it was not going to happen.
This includes all persecution, mild or just ridicule, or just physical abuse, but it also includes becoming a martyr.
The greatest power on this earth, the Holy Spirit, will decide then how we should answer our accusers.
He will give us the strength to bear and the words to speak, and even then, He will not allow us to deny the Lord.
We need to just trust God because we know that He is in charge, and He knows what is best for us at all times.
The fear of any man is a terrible thing.
Fear can cost a person their eternal destiny even if they claim the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.
Jesus was preaching to His disciples, friends, and those who followed Him.
Fear is the opposite of peace with God.
Fear means we are not as committed as we say we are.
Fear can take us out of the Will of God.
2Ti 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
2Ti 1:8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord,
We must understand that some people just do not want to be reached with the salvation of God!
This is sad but also very true!
These are the same ones who will be our persecutors.
They still need to be told or at least warned of the truth of God.
Persecution is not such a high cost for being a servant of God.
Jas 5:20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
Our fear of God should be enough to convince us not to fear what mankind can do to us.
God’s terror is forever!
1Pe 4:18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
1Pe 4:19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.
If we know the Lord Jesus as our Savior, then we should realize the effort God is making to bring us to our final goal.
In the midst of all our trials, He continues His work in us.
He guards against our falling away and from sliding back into the world.
He purifies our faith, so that we can continue to respond to Who He is.
God will not make judicial decisions in our lives; He has given us the tools to make those decisions ourselves when He said to live righteously before Him.
There is a great danger in seeking God to help us with materialism!
*Luk 12:13 And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.
Luk 12:14 And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?
We should understand that this sermon that the Lord Jesus Christ had just preached was a serious lesson about the teaching of the Pharisees, the committing of the unforgivable sin, and the persecution of His followers.
It was a foolish thought that the Lord Jesus would interfere in a family dispute.
He expects us to act like Christians in any dispute.
No telling how many people have prayed for God to help them win the lottery when He will never do this.
Salvation is not about material things!
These things may have been stolen from the man.
These things may have rightfully been his to begin with.
This could even be seen as an act of justice by those who followed Christ.
The Lord Jesus treats this man as if he were not a believer.
The Lord Jesus preached trusting God for our necessities, not our riches, except for the riches of Heaven.
This man, like many others, was not paying attention to what the Lord had said.
Just listening to the Word of God preached does not mean we hear what God says.
Just hearing what God says does not mean we will apply it to our lives.
Spiritual maturity is not about a worldly life!
The Lord Jesus did not die on Calvary’s Cross to give us property.
The Lord Jesus died on Calvary’s Cross to give us life, and that life eternal!
*Luk 12:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
The world hates the Ten Commandments of God when they are things that are good to live by.
Exo 20:17 Thou shalt not covet
Covetousness is a crime.
Covetousness ranks right next to murder, adultery, theft, and slander.
Every time we see this word in the Old Testament, it is connected with a prohibition or a curse.
In the New Testament, we usually see covetousness classed together with adultery.
We should get a feeling for what God thinks about covetousness.
Eph 5:5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Eph 5:6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
Covetousness is a craving or a desire for more.
It is greediness, a dissatisfaction with what is enough.
It is a craving as much for material things as fleshy indulgence.
Then the Lord Jesus gives us an example.
*Luk 12:16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
Luk 12:17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
Luk 12:18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
Luk 12:19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
Luk 12:20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
There is great danger in worldliness.
There is great danger in greediness.
Jas 4:1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
Jas 4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
Jas 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
Jas 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
Covetousness has been the start of many wars.
No matter what we think about this war with Iran, Iran was coveting the destruction of God’s people. To Iran, America is the Great Satan, and this is not far from the truth because of the wickedness we see in our own nation.
When our happiness is more about our possessions rather than God, we are in serious trouble.
In reality, our possessions cannot bring us true power. Only God can do this.
Mat 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
This rich man was greatly blessed, but he did not thank God for such a blessing.
Those were his fruits and his goods, and he was not about to share them.
Notice he also said his soul, when all souls belong to God, to do as He so chooses.
His pride in his possessions made him think of bigger and better things.
Our greatest mistakes stem from selfishness, self-indulgence, and extravagant living.
We are always trying to keep up with the Joneses.
What is our duty?
Ecc 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
Ecc 12:14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
As Christians, we may live with peace in our hearts, but we may never live at ease in this world.
This rich man thought only of himself and never gave a thought to helping those who did not have.
He forgot that he was living in a wicked world that was slowly dying.
Instead of helping others, he decided to build new storage for his abundance.
He worked hard to get the things he wanted and was not about to share them.
We will see that this man only got to think about his greed, his new barns, and his great excess because he did not live long enough to do these things.
Deu 8:11 Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day:
Deu 8:12 Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein;
Deu 8:13 And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied;
Deu 8:14 Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God,
An intense appetite for gain and more gain is just a passion for pleasure that we may never see.
When we focus so much on this life, we begin not to focus on eternal life.
We forget about the rewards of Heaven. In fact, we forget to work for those rewards.
Pro 23:4 Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.
Pro 23:5 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.
In our world today, the richer we are, the greater the chance that there will be people who will take away those riches.
For example, California will vote soon on a measure to just reach in and grab five percent away from those who are rich.
Our government cannot face the fact that they continuously spend more than they take in and robs the people who support it.
This is government greed!
All such people are no more than fools.
They build and build up riches only to give those riches to someone who may not even appreciate the hard work they did.
Ecc 2:18 Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.
Ecc 2:19 And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.
Why would we even want to live a vain life, a life that meant nothing?
While this man could only think of his riches, he received a message from God that his time was over on this earth.
God knows exactly when our time is over, and He is the only one who knows this.
Eze 18:23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?
Eze 18:24 But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.
*Luk 12:21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
Wealth is not a permanent possession!
There is always someone else who will get your wealth after your death.
In fact, the greedy government you support will reach in to try to get a share of your wealth.
When we die, the only portion of our life that lives is our spirit, and spirits cannot have any material possessions.
That spirit will live somewhere forever.
Wealth cannot buy off death.
It is a fool who lives simply and only for the sake of accumulation.
Rom_8:10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
God requires our souls to return to Him when our life is over, but it is the way we lived that life that determines what God will do with that soul.
Amen