CHAPTER 12

1 In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
2 For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.
3 Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.

Note that Jesus warned even His disciples against "hypocrisy."
They would be known for their preaching and teaching of Christ and the Word of God.
Were they do talk but not walk, it would be known by others easily.

Hypocrisy, Jesus said, is like "leaven," or yeast. It spreads and corrupts!

Keep in mind, Christian, that a judgment day IS coming!
And, Jesus reminds us that "there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed!"

We are certainly not to "cover(ed)" the Gospel!
We are to openly proclaim Christ and the Gospel.
And, we are to LIVE as He is THE most important thing in our lives!

4 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.
5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

Today, we see bumper stickers on automobiles proclaiming, "FEAR GOD," and "NO FEAR." I think the full meaning of the bumper sticker is only revealed by the life of the driver!

Truly, "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." (1Jhn 4:18)

But the teaching of Jesus reminds us that God is SOVEREIGN, ALMIGHTY, and ETERNAL JUDGE!
Surely, we are to "fear" Him! The Greek term here intimates awesome reverence.

Which do you fear most: Shame & disgrace, death, or God?
Fearing God relieves us of the other two!!

The worst that can happen if we are exposed to this world as sinful, is the shame of sin.
But, Christians have surrendered to Christ and received forgiveness!
The worst the world can do to us is death.
But, in Christ, we are granted eternal LIFE!

Let us then, "fear God," giving Him awesome reverence in our living!

6 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?
7 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

A "sparrow" is a very common bird. Yet it has WORTH! You, my dear Christian, have the "very hairs of your head" numbered!

God has valued your "worth" with the GIVING of the life of Christ!!
You are of GREAT WORTH!

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:
9 But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.

"Confess"/"Deny." Two opposites. One thing I believe is important here is the tense of the verbs.

"Shall confess" is in the perfect present tense (English). That means CONSTANTLY! He who confesses Christ is owned by Christ. He who is constantly confessing Christ is constantly being owned by Christ!

"Shall deny" is also in the perfect present tense (English). He who lives a life denying Christ as Lord of his life, is NOT owned by Christ! And it does not matter if that person has once made a public confession of faith, been dunked and put on a church roll!

It is impossible to genuinely surrender to Christ as Lord without constantly confessing the same!
Life with Christ is not meant to be lived privately. That's why it is important to make a public confession of our faith in Him. This confession actually "signs" a contract with Him.

And once we have made a public confession of faith in Christ, we will have a public profession of faith in Him. It is not just a one-time act, it is a continued work. The REASON it is a continued work, is because at the point of genuine contract, Christ SEALS the believer in faith by His Holy Spirit (see Ephesians 1:13). At the point of genuine confession of Christ, the Holy Spirit begins a work of constant profession of Christ in the believer's life.

Jesus puts the two (confession and profession) together as one continual act.
Then Paul reiterates the same thought (See Romans 10:9-10).

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.

To "blaspheme" means to defame or speak evil of.

In the Old Testament, it is said of Naboth that he "did blaspheme God and the king" (1Kings 21:10, 13). Also, in 2Kings 19:6, and in Isaiah 37:6, Rabshekah (speaking for Sennecharib) is said to have "blasphemed" God for he spoke in defiance of God, and denied the truth of God.

When a person hears the gospel from another person, or reads the truth in the Bible, then God's Holy Spirit witnesses spiritually to that person stating that the gospel and the Bible are TRUTH.
To refuse that witness is to say that God's Holy Spirit is a liar!

Even blasphemy against Jesus Himself can be forgiven, if a person receives the Holy Spirit's witness to truth, and surrenders to Christ as Lord.

The REASON that refusing the spiritual witness of God's Holy Spirit is unforgivable, is because God can only forgive what we ASK Him to forgive.
When a person refuses God's truth and refuses to surrender to Jesus as Lord, then that person has refused his/her only means of forgiveness.

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:
12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.

Here was a warning to the disciples.
They would later be brutally captured, handcuffed, and dragged into courts.
It would be inquired of them WHY they preached this "Gospel."
It would be inquired of them by WHOSE authority they did so.
It would be inquired of them exactly WHAT they were preaching and teaching.
And, if any of that disagreed with the LAW, they would be imprisoned, beaten, or worse!
Today, it is not much different!

This "word" from Christ is applicable today!

Still, in many countries it is ILLEGAL to openly preach the Gospel of Jesus!
Hundreds of Christians are arrested, jailed and treated maliciously in THIS DAY when they preach the Gospel of Jesus openly!

Even today as I write this, some in our US Congress are literally trying to "hijack" the military defense bill with an "addon," which broadens the "Hate Crimes Bill."
Even though we, as Christians are to extend the love of Christ to ALL mankind; we are also to extend the denunciation of Christ for illicit behavior. Contradictory to some popular belief, a genuine surrender to Jesus as Lord will not allow a continual immoral lifestyle.

Jesus' words here are indeed encouraging!
We need not be concerned with "how or what thing" we answer!
If indeed we are living "in Christ," then His Holy Spirit is living in us!
HE will "teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say!"

As Christians, we must offer the regeneration of God in the soul by surrender to Jesus. However, We must also "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine." (2Tim. 4:2)

And, if called into account for our statements, let us remember that God Himself, by His Holy Spirit, will give us the appropriate answer for our speech.

13 And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.
14 And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?
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.
16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
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.
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.
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?
21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

The person in the crowd was either suffering injustice from his "brother," or intending to cause his brother to suffer injustice. It is not clear whether he wanted his part of the inheritance, or if he wanted MORE than what was rightfully his. In EITHER case, the motive behind the request was GREED! The person wanted MORE than what he was receiving.

It is a truth (shameful, I believe) that many families become undivided when dividing an inheritance! Love and fairness are too often lost in greed!

THAT is why Jesus refused to arbitrate, or "judge" this matter.
He easily healed the blind, deaf, lame and lepers.
He could have even RIGHTFULLY taken charge of this case. After all, Jesus IS the "Judge" of all the universe.

But Jesus is also LORD! Recently, I heard a great sermon preached by Bro. Doyle Williams concerning this very thought process. The sermon dealt with how we RECEIVE what Jesus ALLOWS! We have to remember, as Christians, we have SURRENDERED all that we are to His Lordship. And, Jesus actually "sifts" everything we receive through His hands!

Jesus is constantly working all things "..together for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to HIS purpose." (Rom. 8:28)

We must ACCEPT the fact that NOTHING comes to His children without it already have met HIS criteria. And, no, all things do not APPEAR to be "good" to us. But Jesus USES all things to work TOWARD our good.

That's why Jesus gave the caution in verse 15. When we don't receive what we THINK we deserve, covetousness might be the attitude in our heart!

I DESERVE hell!! But God has given me "grace to help in our time of need" (Heb. 4:16).
He has also given me the promise of eternal life in glory with Him AFTER I have "suffered a little while" on this earth (1Pet. 5:10).
AND, He promises to work ALL things "..together for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to HIS purpose>" (Rom. 8:28 reiterated)

Also, we too often get an "I" attitude about our blessings.
Sometimes we consider the blessings of God as our own accomplishments!
THAT'S why Jesus taught the parable of the man with a great harvest.

Notice that the man said "I" many times.
He never thanked God for the blessings!
He considered them his own accomplishments.

But it is "the fool" that says "There is no God." (Ps. 14:1)
In like manner, he/she is foolish who does not acknowledge that ALL he receives is a blessing from God!

The man in the parable made plans to tear down his small barns and build bigger and better ones. It was a good plan, but it didn't include GOD!

And, that very night God required the man's life!

We do NOT know when death comes!
Let us live as if God works in us by His Holy Spirit "to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Eph. 2:13).

Be "rich toward God" and let HIM take care of allowing us "treasure" on earth!

22 And he said unto 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.
23 The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.

We must take note here that Jesus turned and spoke purposefully to "His disciples."
He had been speaking to them publicly, in front of the crowd.
However, now, He directed this statement to them personally.

Have we lost this sense of total surrender to Christ?
If He is God when we need forgiveness for our sins, is He not STILL God when we have little clothing or little food?

Are we not to give ANY concern to providing for ourselves, and our family?
Yes, we certainly are!
However, we are not to allow the cares of this world to suffocate our main purpose!
Jesus' statement here is an encouraging admonition. He will provide, we must TRUST in that.
And, even when times are "tuff," let us be sure and spread the Gospel!

There is MORE to living that simply having food and clothing and things!
The MORE is trusting Jesus and telling others of Him! The most important part of life is having a right relationship with Christ!

24 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?
25 And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?
26 If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?
27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.
30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.
31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.

God takes care of the birds and the flowers; He will SURELY take care of US!!
We should take note that Jesus used the term "ravens," which were UNclean birds to the Jew.
If God provides THEM food, He will certainly provide for His children!!

The term "taking thought" refers to being overconcerned, or worry. Worry adds nothing but anxiety!

The main part of verse 29 is "neither be ye of doubtful mind." Yes, pay attention, plan, and work for your provisions.
And, when it's difficult, RELY on God! He genuinely cares, and will provide!

Live with this attitude: The MOST important thing is to "seek ye the kingdom of God!"

32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

For the saved, the "kingdom of God" is yours NOW!
You have UNEQUALED love!
You have IMMEDIATE access to God through prayer.
You have UNLIMITED grace.
And, you have His PROMISE to care for you!

We should be so thankful for what God HAS and IS providing us that we never let the world's difficulties overcome our GIVING and DOING for Him!
That doesn't mean we aren't to be concerned for the problems of our family, friends, co-workers, and even our nation and world. We are certainly to be concerned, and are to work toward helping as much as possible.

But we are not to allow those difficulties to overcome our attitude toward and relationship with Christ!

Jesus considers you as part of His "little flock" of sheep!
You are generally unprotected from predators except for HIS GREAT LOVE!
Remember, He is the "GREAT SHEPHERD!"
He will provide your need, and protect you from the "wolves," "lions" and "bears" of this world!

Remember, Jesus is your "TREASURE!!"
Keep your FOCUS on Him!

35 Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;
36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.
37 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 to meat, and will come forth and serve them.
38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.
39 And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.
40 Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

Now, this passage of Scripture (I believe) is VERY IMPORTANT for Christians to learn!
WHETHER a Christian lives according to this admonition DETERMINES if he/she will be "ready" when Jesus returns!!

Listen (read) carefully!

Having the "loins .. girded" meant being READY to work.
Having the "lights burning" meand BEING at work!
Hence, be READY to work for Jesus; and, be ACTIVE in work for Jesus!

The example in verses 37-38 indicates servants who were waiting for their master to return from a wedding feast.
His wedding feast might last for a WEEK! The servants had NO IDEA when he would return. But they must be READY!
The use of the "second" and "third WATCH" implied ANY time of the day or night!!
And, look at the reward the master would give to servants READY: HE would SERVE them!!

Are you READY to partake of the great wedding feast of Christ?
What a WONDERFUL day it will be when He comes to SERVE that feast!!

Another example suppliments and increases our awareness of being READY.
In John 10:10, the "thief" obviously applies to Satan. But here, Jesus applies it to HIMSELF!
1Thess. 5:2 says, "For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night."
Matt. 24:36 tells us that NO MAN knows the day or the hour in which Christ shall return.
Verse 40 above says almost the same thing.

So, let us be READY to work, and be ACTIVE in work for Him!!
THEN, when He comes, we'll be READY to receive Him!

There is absolutely NO ROOM for laxness or apathy in our relationship with Christ and His work!!

41 Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all?
42 And 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?
43 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
44 Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.
45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;
46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
47 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
48 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.

So, did the example ("parable") apply to SOME, or ALL Christians?
ALL!!! For we are ALL "stewards" of the grace of God bestowed upon us!

Indeed, "MUCH" has been "GIVEN!!" Christians have received forgiveness and the promise of eternity with Christ.
We are CONTINUALLY receiving "grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16).
We are CONSTANTLY given the presence of God's Holy Spirit.
We are ALWAYS being "kept by the power of God" (1Pet. 1:5).
Have we not received MUCH?
Then, MUCH is REQUIRED!!

And, no, my theological friends, I do NOT believe in a "partial rapture!"
Stated in verse 46 above is the REASON!
Only UNBELIEVERS will incur the wrath of God!

I DO believe, there are many "so-called" believers in the church!
But only those who are genuinely surrendered to Christ are "servants.
BECAUSE: ALL Christians are "sealed" in Christ by His Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13).
ALL Christians are endowed with the same power that raised Jesus from the dead!
Indeed, the "old things" of a saved person's life are "passed away," and he/she is made a "new creature" (2Cor. 5:17)!
That "new creature" allows God "to will and to do of His good pleasure" in his/her life. (Philippians 2:13)

Now, Christians can be lax at times. But soon, God's Holy Spirit will convict and inspire to act.
A genuine Christian CANNOT be apathetic for long!
Those who never seek to learn, grow and be useful simply are NOT SAVED!

49 I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?

That "fire" is the zeal of God to save the lost, and educate the saved so they can tell the lost of God's salvation.
That "fire" was already "kindled" in the disciples, and is continually kindled in believers today!

50 But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!

Jesus had already been "baptized" by John the Baptist.
The "baptism" to which He was referring here was undoubtedly His crucifiction!

Jesus knew that ultimately His teachings would incur the wrath of leading heretical Jews. They would call for and receive His crucifiction!

But, Jesus would be "straightened," or focused until that was accomplished!
For, it could only be by the offering of God's blood that men could be forgiven and saved!!

51 Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:
52 For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.
53 The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

There are many things in life that bring division of families.
I have seen families divided because of jealousy, money and inheritances.
But the MAIN thing that will divide families on JUDGMENT DAY is whether or not individuals have trusted Jesus!

Jesus Himself IS perfect peace!
But even He cannot bring total peace to earth, because mankind is so sinful!
Some will trust and surrender to Him, and some will NOT!

Jesus did not come to BRING peace to earth; He came to OFFER peace to mankind!
That "peace of God that passeth all understanding" (Philippians 4:7) comes only through surrender to Jesus as Lord!
Obviously, many will not receive that "peace" because there IS a hell (designed for the devil and his angels) to which non-believers will be consigned to reside forever!

The "sign" of DECISION was standing there in front of them!
Which prompted Jesus to use the following illustration.

54 And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; nd so it is.
55 And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass.
56 Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?
57 Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?

Back then, the only way they could predict the weather was by experience and sight.
Their experiences with life taught them what to expect when they saw clouds and wind.

But their experiences with life SHOULD also have told them what to expect from God's advent through Christ!
The crowd surrounding Jesus were almost all Jewish people. They professed to be knowledgeable of God's Word, and the coming of Messiah. But they didn't realize Jesus IS Messiah, God come in flesh (Is. 43:11).

Thus, Jesus called them "hypocrites;" professing to be something they really were not!

How many of those are in the church today?

"What is right" is to be good SERVANTS!

58 When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison.
59 I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite.

It's hard to miss the implication in these last two verses.

If one KNOWS he is about to lose a disagreement which will cost him money, then he will go and speak to his "adversary" and try to obtain an agreement which costs him LESS!

We ALL have a "sin-debt" that we owe to God!
In order to be alleviated of that debt, we MUST come to Christ! He is the ETERNAL JUDGE of all mankind! (Rom. 14:10)

What is YOUR decision about Jesus?
Is He LORD to you?

PLEASE CONTINUE WITH US IN BIBLE STUDY TOMORROW.