Luke (Session 12) Chapter 12

chapter 12 is the subject tonight we're going to talk a little bit about a number of topics including the tyranny of worry and the call to diligence now as you know the book of luke is in major sections through chapter 9 it really focuses on the galilean ministry but we've moved on now from chapters 10 to 19 we're in that section of the gospel which is on the way to jerusalem jerusalem will be the climax of course but on the way there we're going to encounter all these teachings of different kinds and experiences when we get to chapter 19 we have the final offer of the kingdom the rejection by the nation and christ's sacrifice and then the validation of all that by the resurrection and ascension chapter 24. so those are the that's one way of partitioning the book if that's useful to you and obviously we're in the second of those sections um as we go forward towards jerusalem in chapter 10 we sent out the disciples we had the good samaritan issue come up and a visit to bethany chapter 11 we had the model prayer that we talked about last time and the major rejection that really is the pivot point in his ministry in matthew it's even clearer when you get to matthew 12 that that's at that point jesus no longer speaks publicly except in parables and uh chapter 12 is going to be various teachings that we'll get at tonight so we're going to talk first 12 verses are going to talk about hypocrisy do you think this is going to have any relevance to our day indeed we're going to also in the next dozen chapters we're going to talk about beware covetousness well that certainly characterizes our day too doesn't it and then beware worry and that's one that's bothering many people in this audience as we gathered from the question answers that we had earlier and then the admonition to stay diligent so that's really the packaging of what's forthcoming here now in this section all the way from 12 to 19 jesus is teaching his disciples specifically how to operate under conditions of rejection that's the response to the whole change here the disciples are in great danger they've left everything to follow this leader only to find their national leadership rejecting him can you imagine the shock they in good faith have committed themselves to this leader and they now discover that their leadership is rejecting him can you understand the conflict that has got to be in their hearts here what's going on now this chapter that we're going to study tonight i think will become very obvious is unusually relevant to each of us in our day because it deals with some fundamental issues that we want to take a look at in luke chapter 12 luke recorded at least five warnings that we want to take to heart each one of us four for believers like us and a fifth lesson warning to the lost world you know that's a concept that's not very popular even among christians but we need to realize that the world at large is lost it isn't just bewildered it's hostile to everything we have to say it has a king who is the god of this world don't lose sight of that well let's jump in luke chapter 12 verse 1 in the meantime when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people in so much that they trod one upon another you know the king james translation is pretty is graphic at times it's hard to be in so much that they trod one upon another he began to say unto his disciples first of all beware ye of the leaven of the pharisees which is hypocrisy now let's get something very clear here now we've got a big crowd that's fine but he's focusing now to his disciples and he says beware of the leaven of the pharisees the word leaven is widely mistaught by many pastors the idiom or metaphor of leaven in the old testament and the new testament is always negative it always it it refers to sin and sometimes specific sins is going to deal with here why why 11 because 11 corrupts by puffing up it's an interesting metaphor and uh so it's it's not a good thing it's a bad thing but be wary 11 of the pharisees which is hypocrisy so beware hypocrisy is sort of a subsection here 11 as you realize is a common idiom in the bible and it's used consistently one of the discoveries you need to make in your own studies is the amazing consistency in the use of idioms throughout the text even though there's 66 books by over 40 different guys who didn't even know each other over a period of almost 2000 years the consistency of those idioms is a demonstration of a of its real origin which is of course outside space-time and it's that once you realize the integrity of the package where every number every place name every detail is there deliberately it changes your whole perspective of the bible 11 is always used negatively as my main point it's a jewish idiom for sin and the origin of sin is pride and leaven corrupts by puffing up see it's a very very elegant metaphor here and you can go track that through the new testament too first corinthians four and 5 and so on in the old testament at passover the children search out the leaven to get it out this whole procedure they do still in this day if they're not in a in a formal jewish household they have they hide some and have the kids go through the house and get the leaven out of the house that's part of the whole idea of the unleavened bread you see and such that even that that it's a way of communicating or teaching the kids that you get to living out of the house in the new testament jesus and paul both of them use the term 11 several times and it's always negatively and we have one of those occasions right here where jesus himself speaks of the leaven of the pharisees as hypocrisy and that's our focus here the word hypocrite comes from a greek word that means an actor one who plays a part now that's the root of the word i can't resist adding an observation and it's just a suspicion on my part i'll let you evaluate it yourself it's my suspicion that people in the entertainment industry who make their lives pretending to be other people they lose the capacity for intimacy the child and hess and the kids uh in school they ask his kids what does your father do he says they he pretends to be other people you say he was amused by that summary of his career but there's a there's a truth in that that's interesting because as you look at hollywood um the the the uh you get there's a relatively small number of them that preserve their marriage and are able to conduct a career without sacrificing um what most people consider more precious things so what okay how do we keep hypocrisy out of our lives that sounds good we know that hypocrite being a hypocrite is not good how do we keep hypocrisy out of our lives well there's several things first of all we need to understand what hypocrisy really is that's step one jesus compared it with leaven something that every jew associated with evil so hypocrisy is not as it's not subject to opinion it's sin it's evil we need to understand that paul made the same association the first corinthians 5 and galatians 5. hypocrisy soon infects the whole person you can't be hypocritical or small it'll it'll grow it'll grow that lack of commitment to reality of truth oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive some water scott i like the classic remark oh what title would we read so okay the second thing we need to do first we find out what it really is it's sin recognize that hypocrisy is also foolish and futile it's not only sinful it's ineffective nothing can really be hidden it's going to come out god's truth is a light which cannot be diffracted the third thing you need to do is understand what causes hypocrisy what is the root cause of hypocrisy in the first place see verses two and three not with that one verses four through seven are gonna deal with what's the real cause hypocrisy is driven by the fear of man more concern for reputation than character characters what you are when no one's looking right proverbs 29 25 the fear of man bringeth the snare but whoso putteth his trust in the lord shall be safe fear of the crowds fear what man thinks it's interesting that your knowledge of god comes from being in the word of god but your fear of god derives from your devotional life there are many people that really know their bible they can quote verses and they have a lot of head knowledge but your real fear of god comes from your devotional life and i'm not going to minimize that term fear there are some there are many well-meaning pastors that soften that well that just means respect reverential respect no the concept of trembling is embodied in the hebrew terms being used that's another word that we don't see in our vocabulary anymore when i grew up as a kid you'd occasionally hear people speak of so-and-so as a god-fearing man as a compliment you may not agree with some of his doctrines but at least he's a god-fearing man you don't see that term anymore the second verse for there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed neither hid that shall not be known that's in the scripture that's there that's jesus speaking it's that simple nothing should be covered that shall not be revealed those secrets that you think are hidden away in some closet of yours are going to see the light of day it's a heavy thing so he continues therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light and that which ye have spoken in the in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops wow and i say unto you my friends be not afraid of them that kill the body and after that have no more that they can do that's a verse that's very precious to academy graduate west point annapolis one of the things you really sign up for is a willingness to give your life for your country i say to you my friends be not afraid of them that can kill the body what's the most they can do you kill you that's no problem not to someone as a believer after that they have no more that they can do that's you don't worry about those he says but i will forewarn you whom ye shall fear fear him which after hath killed hath the power to cast into hell yeah i say unto you fear him we're going to see the gospel move in this direction when you get to luke 16 we're going to talk a great deal about the afterlife death is not the end it's the raising of a curtain on a whole another reality jesus continues are not five sparrows so for two farthings and not one of them is forgotten before god that's a sobering thing to realize the littlest bird that dies god knows about it he pays attention he's aware you may not be he is the word for farthing by the way is a syrian which is a roman copper coin worth about 1 16 of a denarius the de nuris was about a day's wage so it wasn't much is the point right i think we pick up on that without getting into weights and measures but he continues but even the very hairs of your head are all numbered let me ask you a question right now if you took out a pad could you make an estimate of how many hairs are on your head i doubt that there's now some of you have an advantage in answering that i know that every morning i am i'm an early early riser and i take a shower and every time i take a shower i look down and realize he's just had to revise his inventory and yet that's what jesus is he's being serious here even the very hairs of your head are all numbered what's his point that hairs are significant no that there's nothing about you god doesn't know even though those things that in your mind in my mind would be considered the most trivial trivial things you can think of god knows fear not therefore ye are of more value than many sparrows we need to get that across we should get that message to our ecologist too the extent animal species are not the problem it's the humans that need to get in our focus here so beware hypocrisy for also i say unto you whosoever shall confess me before men him shall the son of man also confess before the angels of god no surprise we see that all through the scripture you've heard various variations of that before but he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of god 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 strange remark you can speak against christ and that can there's a remedy for that see ultimately we all have to depend on the holy spirit that's why he's so critical here it's interesting that a number of jesus own brothers i call him half brothers if you will initially rejected him we see that in john 7. they later came two of them at least came to faith james and jude become leaders the church they didn't accept him until after the resurrection interesting but they were forgiven even though they had spoken against the son of man so that's that's a that's a repairable situation it goes on you when you when they bring you into the synagogues and into the magistrates and powers take ye no thought how or what ye shall answer or what you shall say for the holy ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say that's quite a thing to cling to when you get an opportunity to make a declaration realize that god is at your side that doesn't mean we shouldn't prepare by the way okay somebody could say use that an excuse to always be extemporaneous no second timothy two things we still need to prepare ourselves to be able to speak extemporaneously takes more preparation than a prepared talk it takes a lifetime god did not judge the nation immediately of course in fact jesus prayed for them as he hung on the cross interesting the nation of israel hasn't been judged yet they've been temporarily blinded we'll get into that when we get to luke 19. some big surprises there for many so when jesus is hanging on the cross he's praying for them father forgive them for they know not what they do the ministry of the apostles and the other believers was the last opportunity for the nation and they failed by rejecting the witness of the spirit that becomes clear in acts 7. so this is fulfilled in the first chapters of acts where the message went out to the jew first and then the greek the gentile and one of the companies said unto master speak to my brother that he divide the inheritance with me so we're going to shift on another focus now we've been on hypocrisy now let's talk about covetousness this one person is concerned about his inheritance here you said and that man who made me a judge or a divider over you he's very quite trying to straighten out the authorities here but he said to them take heed and beware of covetousness for a man's life consistent not in the abundance of things which he possesses you've probably seen the bumper stickers he who has the most toys wins right he dies with those twice wins a facetious thing of course but it's amazing how our life is like that man's life does not consist of the abundance of things civilization what is civilization well a limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities according to mark twain he had he had a way of turning a phrase so jesus spoke a parable into them verse 16 saying the ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully and he thought within himself saying what shall i do because i have no room where to bestow my fruits in other words he was so plentiful in his crops and so forth he didn't have any place to put it he's doing well 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 so his solution was to get bigger closets so to speak right okay and i will say to my soul soul i like that he he actually is his is dramatizing the situation jesus is telling the story he says i will say to my soul soul thou hast much goods laid up for many years take thy knees eat drink and be merry that's his philosophy sounds pretty good i won't ask for a show of hands of how many of you are guilty of that same mentality i know i have been i look back at my uh 53 years of marriage and there were times that we were quite prosperous and our times are incredibly self-indulgent and i look back in amazement very critically at the uh our poor stewardship frankly but we did it the same the spirit of the same thing see there are perils to prosperity there's an interesting passage in proverbs 34 7-9 where the the the plaintiff there says ask god not to not to and be rich or poor he didn't want to be rich because he might forget god and he didn't want to be poor because then he might be led to steel and take the name of god in vain it's one of those passages which highlights that the third commandment is not about vocabulary it's about your witness to the coming king there are perils to prosperity what are they wealth can first of all choke the word of god when you have great abundance you have a tendency to crowd out your devotional time with him and the word of god itself that's described in matthew 13 in the seven kingdom parables second thing wealth can create snares and temptations that are not available to you otherwise it's amazing how people who become celebrities in the entertainment world or people who rise up in a corporation when they get in the chief executive's chair how they change they suddenly don't think the rules are for them there's a mindset that's very subtle and the boardrooms used to call it ceo fever you could track an executive in his career he's doing outstanding of great qualities and real leadership when he finally gets to the top chair as chief executive officer a change takes place you see him change it's just different often we call it the the the hallway phrase there is the ceo fever meaning they no longer regard the rules as pertaining to them we see that in the in the entertainment industry where or in athletics too people who are excessively well compensated start getting themselves in the stupidest trouble you would think that with all those resources that would give them an immunity to getting in these stupid things no it tends to lead them into those stupid things because they think the rules no longer apply to them so wealth can create snares and temptations not otherwise available to you so there's a danger there that's what the proverb the proverb 30 guy says i don't want to be rich because that might cause me to forget the o lord that's the challenge and probably the worst of all of these three is wealth can give you a false sense of security and i can look back at my career even though i was teaching bible studies and so forth when we were in our heyday i have to admit to myself that i had a sense of security from a balance sheet with substantial assets and that gave us a comfort never articulate never necessarily conscious but a comfort inappropriate in a sense because god wants us dependent on him and you're being dependent on him is harder if you've got a balance sheet of over a million dollars or whatever a false sense of security people who are satisfied only with the things that money can buy are in great danger of losing the things that money cannot buy and that sounds so good sounds so good but it's real it's true it's essential you know what god's remedy for covetousness is tithing and one of the many reasons that tithes are constructive is it's a continual reminder that god's first it's a continuing reminder that whatever you have it's really his see ties are not offerings ties are what are his you can't give an offering until you your tides are complete see in in the vernacular there your ties are what's required your volunteer offerings are on top of that that's the idea now in the christian world many people sort of dismiss the concept well all my stuff's voluntary that misses the point that misses the point there's a portion that belongs to him we're giving him his back and it's when we get to our discretionary part that it counts when we give it to him in verse 20 and god said unto him see there he said soul i'm going to do thou stuff it says but god said to them thou fool this night thy soul shall be required of thee then who shall those things be which thou has provided see that he's emphasizing here that goods wealth whatever has a terminus it's temporary do you know that every one of us is going to die on time right on time not late not early see the problem with the farmer in the talk in this in this parable is that he had a false view of life and death so you and i when you're young you know you're immortal you know you don't you know you don't plan for your you know but as as you get to the twilight years these things start to take a little more relevance the farmer had a false view of life and death death is not the end that's when the curtain goes up on the real reality you and i we now know if the more you know about physics you know we are in a simula a digital electrical simulation it's not real this thing isn't really here we've gone through all that in our stuff the real reality is out there and the more you study those kinds of things the more vivid the bible becomes to you the more you know about the frontiers of science the more comfortable genesis chapter 1 reads death is not the end that's when the curtain goes up and on the real reality you and i are in a boot camp a trial period the man is richest whose pleasures are the cheapest henry david perrault is famous for some of these insights back in 1856 walden walden pond and all that that man is riches whose pleasures are cheapest you all said a man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone isn't that a dandy again pharaoh now i love this one psalm 90 verse 12 so teaches the psalmist says so teach us lord to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom how many days have you got left you talk to your insurance agent they have tables depending on what your age is there's a prediction they have mathematically an estimate of how many days you've got left obviously with the bounds of statistical uncertainty but if i tell you you know if you go through that arithmetic and say gee well i'm i'm 50 years old i'm going to lift him theoretically until 70 so i got 20 years or so that's still academic years ago i was involved with some financiers in new york and uh i was talking to a jewish friend of mine saying bernie uh how many years you got left i don't know he says you're 50 yeah i figure you've got probably a thousand weekends left you look at me shocked what do you mean well let's assume you got 20 years just to take an estimate that's years 20 years is an academic concept it doesn't rattle when you shake it 20 years is about there's roughly 50 weeks a year so it's about a thousand weekends you got a thousand weekends left bernie that shook him up is that something you could count years later i ran into him in europe or anyway it doesn't matter i ran into him and he came up to me chuck what's left about 800 now in other words he remembered that one conversation and now no big dramatic climax except it was interesting that if you put it into weekends that starts to rattle when you shake it how many weekends do you have left you do your own arithmetic make a reasonable estimate how many years you're probably going to live according to the ex actuarial experts 20 years whatever it is multiply it by 50 52 if you want to be precise okay that's how many weekends you got left a little different isn't it you know i can remember in high school the girls used to make paper clip chains in the room the number of days to the prom and they always take one off as it got closer that was their way of recognizing the academic years it goes by and um and also the naval academy all plebes had no exact number of days to the army navy game or whatever he had he had a sense of time contracting well i teach us to number our days why that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom that's good advice so how many weekends do you have left is my question you think about it jesus continues so is he that layeth up treasure for himself and is not rich toward god wow here's your discussion question when you meet with your group and your your bible study group during the week how do we get rich toward god see the tragedy of the farmer is not what he left behind but what he now faces in eternity and we'll be talking more about that when we get to luke 16. but the question i want you to think about when you're in your bible study group meaning i assume if you're really serious about your spiritual walk you don't limit yourself to a 45 minute sermon on sunday morning that you study the word of god during the week in a small group that's where people grow you don't have to be a leader a teacher to be a leader because you can just pop a dvd in and discuss it there's other ways to keep the group growing without you having to teach all you need is facilitate make sure one person doesn't dominate all that sort of thing but okay you're meeting with your group during the week you might discuss it what does it mean to be rich toward god interesting discussion i'll leave that to you to work that out let's move on verse 22 and he said to his disciples therefore i say unto you take no thought for your life what ye shall eat neither for the body what ye shall put on that's an easily misapplied verse but let's follow through here take no thought in other words be not anxious that's what it really means be not torn apart doesn't mean don't think about it that's not what it's all about the in in the in the the translation doesn't get that across be not anxious is the point there's a difference okay this isn't a prohibition of doing some planning and planning is not forecasting future planning is analyzing the futurity of today's decisions but in any case take no thought for your life even be not anxious so the study now we're shifting is to the beware of worry beware of worry i won't ask for a show of hands but how many of you are fraught with worry especially in today's economy in today's political realities and so forth the tyranny of worry see the rich farmer worried because he had too much not interesting not too little too much the disciples probably were tempted to worry because they had too little they were living by faith and faith is always tested if you're living by faith that's going to be tested every day i believe god finds a new way to ask you the question do you trust me i go through life day by day god finds interesting ways do you trust me critical question see the english word worry comes from an old anglo-saxon word which means to strangle worry strangles this isn't rational thought this isn't trying to plant no no worry something else this is the one i like best worry is a trickle of fear running through the mind which eventually cuts a crevice so deep it will drain all other thoughts away i cannot recall where i encountered that way back early in my life but it somehow stuck with me i can't i got it somewhere i can't tell you where i just don't remember but i think that's so descriptive worries a trickle of fear running through the mind which eventually cuts the crevice so deep that it'll drain all other thoughts away that distinguishes worry from simply apprehension trying to understand something worry does not empty tomorrow but sorrow it empties today of its strength according to boom worry is assuming a responsibility god did not intend for you to have i first heard that from bill gothard but i'm sure that was through the various literature worry is assuming a a responsibility god did not intend you to have worry is like paying interest on a debt that never comes due jesus continues life is more than meat and the body is more than raiment consider the ravens for they neither sow nor reap which neither have storehouse nor barn and god feedeth them how much more are ye better than the fowls and which of you are taking thought can add to his stature one cubit a cubit by the way is a standard measure from the fingertips to the elbow and throughout history has been different qubits by various authorities against the the smallest is 16 inches the longest seem to be about 22 so people can scholars can argue about what qubit fits where most people will just use 18 inches as a as a windage number but that's of course not the issue here if you'd be not able to do anything which is least why take you thought for the rest see see can you by taking thought add one hair to your head if you can't change that a lot of other things you can't change psalm 39 5 behold thou hast made my days as a hand breath mine ages as nothing before thee verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity sayla man but i had by days there is a hand breath nothing worry is also deceptive by the way it's not only unconstructive and all that it's also deceptive it gives us a false view of life of itself and of god those are all deceits i mean it worries it gives you a false view of all those things worry convinces us that life is made up of what we're worried about typically food and clothes that's not what life is all about we get so concerned about the means that we forget about the end which is to glorify god that's what it's really all about and that should be our yardstick on everything because that's the greatest commandment the greatest commandment is the the shema deuteronomy 6 i shall love the lord thy god with all my heart soul strength in mind continues consider the lilies how they grow they toil not they spin not and yet i say unto you that solomon all his glory was not arrayed like one of these if god can so clothe the grass which is today in the field and tomorrow is cast in the oven how much more will he clothe you oh ye of little faith worry binds us to the world around us and the way god cares for his creation god makes the flowers beautiful and feeds the unclean ravens by the way were an unclean bird in hebrews feeds the unclean ravens who neither sow nor reap you know one of the things that mystifies me is why are flowers beautiful because we now know that bees are colorblind so they're not they don't have to be beautiful also when you get if you get into some of these uh deep sea uh imagery when they get down it's dark it's black down there when you get light out there you discover the fish and the rocks are gorgeous why no one sees them why are they beautiful for god they glorify him i think that through and seek not ye what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink neither be of doubtful mind doubtful mind to be held in suspense the word there is that type of word is used of a ship being tossed in a storm held in suspense tossed around for all these things do the nations of the world seek after and your father knoweth that ye have need of these things see worry is also deformative i said it was deceitful now it's deformative it can keep us from growing and makes us like the unsaved world if you're worrying you are moving in the direction of being what an unsafe person would be worried about you shouldn't be thinking about it planning different not worried it's unchristian to worry it's a poor witness and it too like hypocrisy is a sin that may sound surprising it's a sin to worry it has that side to it if you're not careful for whatsoever is not of faith is sin paul tells us in romans 14 whatsoever is not of faith is sin and worry is a lack of faith isn't it we're not talking about consideration or planning that's an analysis that's highly appropriate in many many respects from it worry that you cross the line different thing beware worry jesus is not suggesting that we sit around and let god feed us the birds themselves work hard to stay alive this isn't you know put your feet on the disc thing no no he encourages us to trust him and to cooperate with him in using the abilities and opportunities that he gives us one of the guidance for prayer i really like is you pray that it all depends on him and you work as if it all depended on you that's the way to divide the responsibility but rather seeking the kingdom of god and all these things will be added unto you fear not little flock for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom wow sell that you have and give alms provide yourselves bags which wax not old a pressure in the heavens that failth not where no thief approacheth neither uh corrupted luke will later come back to this subject in chapter 16 and 19 in spades and that's also by the way what the early church did is that they sold and committed it for where your treasure is there will your heart be also now we're going to discover when we get to luke 16 that you can take you say you can't take it with you it's a common thing yes you can by the way and you'll find out how you do it when you get to luke 16. you can take your treasure with you into heaven the way you do it is the same way that if you visit certain foreign countries where your dollars won't work you have to change into the currency of that country before you get there right well same thing with heaven the way you have your resources there is you send them up ahead you send them a pen we'll talk about that when you get to luke 16. so how do we win over worry that all sounds pretty good how do we win over worry first of all let's repeat it realize that god knows our needs he knows better than we do and we can trust him to meet them well that's a mouthful but let's think about that he knows your needs better than you do and you can also trust him that he will meet those needs secondly strive for the divine viewpoint step up a notch stand back his pleasures and our treasures need to go together if our hearts are fixed on the things of earth we will always worry if you're worried you're focusing on the wrong target here hang loose of the world's goods is is the missile translation here it's not wrong to own things so long as the things don't own you it's not a sin to be wealthy it's not a sin to acquire resources how you use them is the issue it's not oh it's not wrong to own things the trap is to make sure those things don't own you you know definitely i can remember when i was at western digital and there was a time that i ended up getting a ferrari for a long time i'd watch where i parked it i'd always you know i'd be fussed over it so forth and one day for no good reason i said nuts i just enjoyed the car and i may have picked up a nick or so nothing serious but it was interesting i for a while there really enjoyed that car when i stopped fussing over it and just enjoyed it man does it corner on those s's i mean and uh uh instead of there was a time there when i first got it it owned me i mean it was this is the car you know and it was interesting to see you then you go through one or two of those and then you go you go into something else but it's not a they don't you never let them own you but nothing wrong with things it's it's it's how you handle it and i remember that it was so interesting that it didn't own me anymore so anyway moving on the call to diligence next see we are also called to do this while we are not to be worried about the present we do need to be watchful about the future so that's this next section it sounds like it's the opposite i just told you not to worry right don't worry but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be watchful and diligent about the future not to plan ahead is foolishness the best way to conquer hypocrisy or covetousness and worry there's three things we've talked about hypocrisy covetous worry these three things are probably our biggest malady in our culture right now today and probably every one of us if roster himself have a hang up with one or all three of those things how do you deal with hypocrisy how do you deal with covetousness how do you focus on the lord's return that's one of the reasons that a interest in prophecy and an awareness that he is king and he is coming is so sanitizing it really changes your priorities the more you realize he's really what it's all about it changes everything the lord's return should be the overwhelming priority in your entire life daily daily jesus goes on now verse 35 let your loins be girded about and your lights burning for ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord when he will return from the wedding when he that when he cometh and knocketh they may open unto him immediately notice the metaphor he's using here and you yourselves like under men that wait for their lord when he will return from the wedding a lot of people think of the wedding being on the earth no it's in the father's house the wedding's always in the father's house the wedding supper will be on the earth celebrating the wedding when he returns a little subtly but important so the jewish wedding analogy is important to understand for these metaphors the bridegroom servants need to be in readiness the bridegroom would make a contract with the bride's father then he would go away to his father's house to prepare auditions for his new bride and that's where jesus is now go and prepare a place for you right he would come back at a surprise time to take the bride to the new house that's what we call the harpazzo right a forcible gathering jesus goes on his blessed are those servants whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching verily i say unto you that he shall gird himself and make them to sit down and eat and will come forth to serve them really wow that's really wild there are five crowns promised in heaven one of them is specifically for those that are hold his the the harpazzu in in priority it's fascinating to discover of those five crowds one is specifically for that purpose check it out and if you shall come in the second watch or come in the third watch and find them so blessed are those earth in other words you don't know when he's coming the second watch there those are the watches of the night okay the second watch was from 9 00 pm to midnight and the third watch was from midnight to 3 a.m those were three hour watches in the in the in the greek or roman and uh that's what luke is he looks agenda so he's thinking of these three hours if you have navy guides for their four hour watches right before the captivity the jews divided the night into three watches the beginning of the watches that was from sunset to midnight lamentations to the middle watch that's from midnight until the crowing judges seven and then the morning watch from the crowing until sunrise that was the jewish model in the new testament we read of four watches a division probably introduced by the greco-roman background and okay by the way this very thing is a rebuttal to mid-trib and post-trib eschatology it's subtle but important to understand if we don't know whether when he's coming that puts that puts that event not at the end of the tribulation armageddon second coming all that no no and uh it also can't be during the seven weeks 70 weeks of daniel because they not only are defined very precisely there's even a mid-course correction labeled so mid-driven post-trib viewpoints are wrong for a number of reasons but not the least of which they deny a concept called the doctrine of eminence the doctrine of eminence is simply this that we are to expect him at any moment all through the new testament you find verses that underscore that we as as as christians looking for our lord are to expect him at any moment watch and praise jim not temptation and so forth you know and there's verse after receiver that's collectively called the doctrine of eminence and one of the strange byproducts of some of these eschatological views mid-trib and post-trib is they require events to occur specifically before you can come back we know that's not true so they're wrong they haven't accounted for the whole council of god moving on verse 39 and this know that if the good man of the house had known or whatever the thief would come he would have watched and not have suffered his house to be broken through now who is the good man here oh gotcha notice that if the good man of the house had known what hour the thief would come he would have watched and not have suffered his house to be broke through he's using a metaphor yes but who is in the position of the good man in the in the in the actuality here you're thrown by the word good man that just means the master of the house it's not not he's not a good man that's just the term we're using in the english who is the one that's in charge satan see the whole concept the rapture is to catch satan by surprise now if the if the goodman of the house had known what our the thief who's the thief jesus is coming to gather his own would come and would have watched and not have suffered his house to be broken through see this jesus is speaking of an attitude here not the percentages but it's interesting to understand that who's a good man is you know of the house he's the guy that is going to be surprised this attitude that we must have towards his return is to be alert not to be caught by surprise be therefore ready also for the son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not so whenever you see someone write a paper on when the rapture is going to occur you know that's not what it's going to be right of course if you know that's not what it's going to be that might be the hour you think not just now to help you with that these passages by the way among other things imply what's called eminency the tribulation is a well-documented three and a half year period in the bible not seven years it's the last half of a seven year period let's be precise and let me mention something else as pre-trib people we're often accused by our adversaries as that that's just our we hold that view to avoid persecution that's utter silliness wrong and betrays the lack of understanding the great tribulation we're dealing with here is a period that jesus himself labeled in matthew 24 15 as the last half of that period it's the great tribulation and we could muster up a whole bunch of passages to show you the church will not go through will not be on the earth at that time fine but let's watch out for a caveat here where do we especially in america where do we get the audacity to presume that we're going to be spared what most of the body of christ in most of the world for most of the last 2000 years i had to endure it's called persecution not the great tribulation that specific period of eschatological time earmarked clearly in the scripture no but are the true is persecution coming absolutely and the people that are least prepared for on the planet earth are us in the united states have no grasp of what it's like what to do in preparation for it even in the 30s we had the great depression people there didn't have debt they were self-reliant and they helped one another they had a different culture that survived that ordeal what we're heading for is vastly worse not only numerically it's going to be on top a culture that is as ill-prepared as as is imaginable in terms of values and skills and whatever now see there's no imminency if we know exactly when he's returning after the tribulation which is the view of many teachers that's just not i'm arguing he's not a correct understanding from the text when we get to all this then peter said unto him lord speaketh thou this parable unto us or even to all interesting this verse hadn't occurred to me before but i think this verse applies also to us in a very unusual way there are teachers around that argue that what's in the gospels is appropriate for the unbelieving jews they were unbelieving jews what they said was pertaining to them the church didn't start until acts chapter 2 that's where the church was born at the feast of pentecost holy spirit given we have the church beginning there are people that argue that the only part of the new testament that's appropriate to the christian is on the epistles or from acts 2 on that all this is somehow not relevant to us and from that point of view they build a perspective that i think is dangerous it's wrong it's also dangerous essentially peter says do you speak this parable to us the disciples or to all you see jesus told two parables here 35 to 40 and 42-48 and they're both connected by this question by peter here in verse 41. the second paragraph expands and explains the first one the lord said who then is that faithful and wise steward whom his lord shall make ruler over his household to give them their portion of meat in due season he's talking about rewards here isn't it not salvation rewards blessed is that servant whom the lord when he cometh shall find so doing of the truth i say unto you that he will make him ruler over all that he hath but and if that servant say in his heart my lord the layeth is coming and shall begin to beat the men servants and maidens and to eat and drink and be drunken the lord of that servant will come in a day which when he look if not for him and at an hour when he is not aware and will cut him in the center and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers you've got to be kidding wow and that servant went which knew his lord's will and prepared not himself neither did according to his will shall be beaten with many stripes really wow but he that knew not and did commit things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes for unto whomsoever much is given of him shall be much required and to whom men have committed much of him they will ask the more wow you know it's really staggering to realize you and i live in a culture where the word of god is more available than it's ever been in the history of man bibles are free you can pick them up any hotel room if you want you don't have to you can get into the hebrew in greek without knowing hebrew and greek with modern software and it's free that software is free for the asking on the internet you have all of man's knowledge is a few key strokes away anything you can think of you can find out if you're moving if you know how to use the internet all of this knowledge is available the letter bible astonishing resource free too much is given much shall be required we are more without excuse than any generation in history god will be fair however we are called to know his will romans 12 1 and 2 and others and we are we are called to grow in our knowledge of him that's a command not a suggestion he says i come to send fire on the earth and what will i if it already be kindled strange verse see just as joshua the conquerors of canaan we are also facing opposition and conflict we're in a world that hates what we do to the jews fire was a symbol of judgment and our lord's coming to this world will bring judgment jesus but i have a baptism to be baptized with and how am i straightened till it be accomplished the lord's baptism of course is a phrase he uses of his suffering and death that's coming up in in chapters 20 again think not that i come to send peace on earth i come not to send peace but a sword see the the the uh luke in chapter 12 51 says suppose you that i am come to get peace on the earth i tell you nay jesus talking but rather division that's jesus talking luke 20 12 51 the other place that shows up just as crispy is in matthew 10 34 jesus speaking think not that i come to send peace on earth i come not to send peace but a sword well wait a minute wait a minute wait a minute in luke chapter 2 verse 14 we read the angels and christmas eve as we usually celebrated the angels saying to the shepherd's field in chapter 2 verse 14 does this contradict that not exactly because it's mistranslated in luke 2. now i can look we all sing this during christmas barrels suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly hosts praising god and saying glory to god in the highest and on earth peace good will toward men that's an unfortunate mistranslation widely propagandized through our christian community the traditional translation of luke 2 14 is not actually accurate better as follows and on earth peace to men of good will is the more accurate renting or even better than that on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests that's what the greek really says we've picked up the king james and that's been put on bus on christmas cards and so we stumble over that if we're not careful god's peace is not given to those who have good will but to those who are the recipients of god's good will or favor that's really what's in view here continuing here for from henceforth there shall be five and one house divided and three against two and two against three jesus bringing division even in father shall be divided against the son and the son against the father the mother against the daughter the daughter against the mother and the mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law the daughter-in-law against your mother-in-law jesus brings division there will be division that's in john 7 john 9 10 all the way through and he said also to the people when you see a cloud rise out of the west straight way you say they'll come at the shower so it is when you see south wind blow you say it will be heat and it comes to pass that's the gentile rendering of what in the in the uh well let's go on he says he hypocrites you can discern the face of the sky and of the earth but how is it that ye do not discern this time in matthew this account quotes the famous sailors proverb red sky in the morning sailor take warning red sky at night sailor's delight and jesus actually in matthew 16 he actually quotes that to the pharisees and accused him of being hypocrites jesus continues here in verse 57 yea and why even of yourselves judging not what is right when thou goest with an adversary to the magistrate as thou art in the way give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him lest he hail thee to the judge and the judge deliver thee to the officer and the officer cast me into prison in other words there's a judgment issue unfolding here i tell thee that thou shalt not depart then still thou has paid the very last might the word for might by the way is leptos is only used twice in the scripture there were three times actually it was a jewish copper coin about 1 8 of a cent the point he's making here is all will held be held accountable we all have a day of reckoning and here i'll throw in second corrupt uh corinthians 6 2 behold now is the time of the is the accepted time beyond now is the day of salvation so that's the chapter we looked at beware hypocrisy for twelve verses we looked at beware covetous covetousness for another handful and beware worry then stay diligent those are the four sections that we went through so we're on our way towards jerusalem we had chapter 10 chapter 11 and now chapter 1 various teachings so this is the end of what we call in our courseware the end of unit 1. we lucas 24 chapters 12 of these make a convenient unit so if you're taking this for for credit in the institute you want to now go through your notes prepare for your final exam in any case though you want to continue to unit 2 by studying luke chapter 13 for the next session and with that let's stand for a closing word of prayer

Channel: Bible Study

Views: 901

Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords:

Id: MSkaMINcq9o

Length: 65min 5sec (3905 seconds)

Published: Thu Oct 15 2020