Shining Light in the Fear of God

Luke 12:1-12

Beware of Hypocrisy

1 In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.

Jesus Teaches the Fear of God

4 "And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!

6 "Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Confess Christ Before Men

8 "Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. 9 But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.

10 "And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.

11 "Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. 12 For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."

Hypocrisy in the face of ungodly fear denies Christ if not answered with walking in the truth with godly fear and a bold witness to the gospel which saves us from the wrath of God on all unrighteousness (Romans 1:18).  Jesus therefore strongly warned His followers to beware the hypocrisy of the religious but not right with God Pharisees that was as yeast placed in dough that slowly expands until it fills every nook and cranny with its power to change it.  This leaven was often used as a picture of sin for this reason because it insidiously fills a person until all is corrupted from the goodness of obedience to God’s word into rationalizing sin away with added rules which seem to make scripture easier to follow but end up changing what God said and intended.  We are all to avoid such corrupting influences that we are not changed from the simplicity (2 Corinthians 1:12, 11:3) of the gospel by the influence of bad and false teaching (2 Peter 2:1) that permeates our souls if we allow it to influence our thinking or even numb us to the fear of God who saved us by grace apart from our works and attempts by such philosophies that twist the word of God towards destruction (2 Peter 3:16).  Our defense according to passages like 2 Timothy 3:16-17 is the inspired word of God as recorded in the scriptures and given meaning by the Holy Spirit of God living in we who have been saved from these errors by the truth (John 14:6, Acts 4:12) as we feared God and His judgment we rightly all deserve.  Yes, we had feared the only one with the power to deliver us to our hellbound destination and now rest in the grace of His goodness that values us and cares for our needs more than mere sparrows which He tends to their every need.  He will never leave or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8, Psalm 27:9, 13-14, Hebrews 13:5-6) in this infinite and undeserved love as His adopted sons and daughters.  Because of these precious promises (2 Peter 1:4) which have delivered us from the corruption of sin, we cannot help but to take the basket off our candles (Luke 11:33) to let His light of the gospel of truth shine (Matthew 5:16, 2 Corinthians 4:4, 6) to all around us.  If we deny Him we will be denied these things.  If we blaspheme His Spirit who brings conviction of sin and seals the elect in the righteousness of Christ, we will not find forgiveness in our denial and rejection of the Son of God who is revealed by that same Spirit to us.  Jesus therefore encouraged the disciples to be strong in the face of opposition in the comfort of knowing His care will keep us all when the world rejects Him in and through us as His witnesses.  He will govern us the wisdom to speak truth in those pressing times as we are facing worldly punishment for proclaiming the truth against the philosophies and laws of man when they are set to reject the truth in unrighteousness as Romans 1:18 tells us.  The deceiver (2 Thessalonians 2:10) keeps hearers of the gospel from accepting the gospel and receiving Christ by deceptive reasoning and delusion that they might revel in ungodliness instead of turning from it to God whose punishment of justice they should rightly fear when they hear the truth.  We are to stand firm and bear witness to the truth in spite of this because there are some who will hear and turn in God-given faith to Him from sin.  In light of eternity and the coming accountability of judgment, may we shine light in the darkness as Christ did in the beginning of creation and now in the re-creation of men and women called out of darkness into His marvelous (1 Peter 2:9) light!