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Kent Hughes · Citado em PreceptAustin
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Hughes adds that "According to Paul, the inception of authentic faith in Christ involves verbal confession of him: "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved" (Romans 10:9, 10). True faith always moves from the heart to the lips. On the other hand, a lack of desire to confess Christ before others is a warning alarm—do we really have faith? An unwillingness to bear witness may mean we have fooled ourselves—we are not truly children of God. This is a great concern to Jesus. He said, after Peter's great confession, "If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels" (Luke 9:26). And the one who gave himself for us says it here again. We must confess him—always!" (See Luke: That You May Know the Truth) (Bolding added) Third Millennium note - In Luke 12:8-9, we observe that authentic salvation results in a continuous confession of Christ as Lord (Ro 10:9-10), in both word and deed (cf. Col. 3:17). If on the other hand we have a lack of desire to confess Christ before others in both word and deed then this is a warning alarm (Luke 12:9; cf. Luke 9:26)! We need to ask, "Are we really children of God." "Do we really have faith?" (see 1 John 5:13+). As alluded to above, sadly some evangelical commentators (e.g., Thomas Constable who I use and generally respect on most of his comments) interpret this denial of Christ as the time at the Judgment Seat of Christ when "More or fewer rewards are in view" for believers (See Spurgeon on the ultimate "reward"). Beloved, this is a very dangerous teaching! How can a genuine believer live a life in which he continually denies (disowns) the One Who saved him? It is not even logical. Of course Jesus is not speaking about occasional denials all of us have been guilty of in our life. He is speaking about denial of Himself as one's practice. As alluded to above Paul describes this lifestyle of denial in Titus 1:16+ in men who actually "profess (continually confess) to know God, but by their deeds they deny (present tense = continually deny or disown) Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed." It is interesting that in this verse
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Hughes comments that "those who blaspheme the Holy Spirit by attributing his work and witness to Satan are damned. This blasphemy is not so much a matter of blasphemous language but of a conscious, persistent, wicked rejection of the Spirit's witness. It is a setting of the mind against the Spirit of God. (See context Luke: That You May Know the Truth Preaching the Word) Wycliffe Bible Commentary. - The slander against the Holy Spirit is irremediable because it cuts a man off from the only power that can change his inner life. The Holy Spirit is God's messenger to men, on whom believers are dependent for their knowledge of the reality of God's truth. (Borrow for 1 hour - Wycliffe Bible Commentary ) Moody Bible Commentary on blasphemes against the Spirit - This appears to be a case of willfully denying the revealed truth about Christ—that is, unbelief. A "permanent rejection" (cf. Bock, Luke, 1143) of the Spirit revealed truth will not be—indeed cannot be—forgiven. J
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Hughes - The book of Proverbs views greed as the dividing line between righteous and evil people: “All day long he craves for more, but the righteous give without sparing” (Pr 21:26). The apostle Paul repeatedly condemned greed: “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people” (Ephesians 5:3). To the Ephesian elders he proclaimed, “I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing” (Acts 20:33). ( Hughes observes the principle that)... "The greedy person lives as if the most important things of life are assured when they have amassed the superfluous. But Jesus said, “A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Material excess will never make one alive or happy or fulfilled. It is perhaps understandable to be fooled when you are fifteen. But at fifty, or seventy-five? How utterly foolish!" (See Luke: That You May Know the Truth) Darrell Bock adds that "The danger of the pursuit of possessions is that it can make one insensitive to people. Greed can create a distortion about what life is, because the definition of life is not found in objects, but relationships, especially to God and his will. To define life in terms of things is the ultimate reversal of the creature serving the creation and ignoring the Creator (Ro 1:18–32)....Jesus will tell a parable to illustrate just how foolish this position is. Real life, he argues, possesses a far different focus. Real life is tied to God, his offer of forgiveness of sins, his values, and his reward"(Luke 9:51-24:53 (Baker Exegetical Commentary ) For (or "because" = term of explanation - What's Jesus explaining?) not even when one has an abundance (perisseuo) does his life consist of his possessions - NLT paraphrases this "Life is not measured by how much you own." Phillips paraphrases it "For a man's real life in no way depends upon the number of his possessions." Amplified says "for a man's life does not consist in and is not derived from possessing overflowing abundance or that which is over and above his needs." Jesus' point is clear -- your life is your most valuable possession, as it is eternal and possessions are not. The corollary is to make sure your life is "possessed" by Jesus, so that you have eternal life with Him! David Guzik This is the overall principle that Jesus will develop in the following teaching on material things. When we live with the attitude that our live does consist in what we posses, we live in covetousness, and covetousness is idolatry (Colossians 3:5). “Covetous men by gaping after more lose the pleasure of that they posses, as a dog at his master’s table swalloweth the whole meat he casteth him without any pleasure, gaping still for the next morsel.” (Trapp) Mattoon amplifies on greed or covetousness - The covetous person is piggish in priorities. Self is number one in his considerations and choices. He is like the horse-leech crying "Give! Give!" His focus is on things. His futility is the fact he is never satisfied and always wanting more. The foundation of his problems is the fact he is selfish, lacks contentment and satisfaction. The funnel of his problems is the lust of the flesh, eyes, and pride of life. His frustration is the fact that his possessions do not satisfy him. He feels left out or is missing out on life. He also feels he is not treated fairly because you have something that he does not have, and he has just got to have it, too. Covetousness is the acid of avarice, a cancer of corruption and carnality that eats away at the health of society turning people into beasts. It causes to people to demand what they have not earned and have a spirit that says, "You owe me! What you have is mine!" Covetousness causes people to: burn in their hearts for the possessions of others, learn to deceive their neighbor, looking upon him as a competitor, spurn the rebukes and warnings of Scripture and the conscience, turn from honesty and hard work to dishonest means, yearn for more after you get what you want. The Bible says, "The blessings of the Lord maketh rich and he addeth no sorrow with it." On the other hand, the bounty of covetousness leaves one deceived, distracted, discouraged, and depressed from the need for more, from selfishness, from a lack of satisfaction of possessions, and from the guilt which comes from the unlawful means by which things were attained. Like the sharp fangs of a rattlesnake that injects its venom into its victim, covetousness will poison your heart, infecting it with a spirit of greed that will cause you to deceive, make dangerous decisions, or disregard the needs of others. This is amply illustrated all throughout the Bible in the lives of people with catastrophic consequences....Covetousness is a mother sin that spawns other sins. It is interesting to note that the Ten Commandments have their roots in the tenth commandment which says, "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's (Exodus 20:13)." (Rod Mattoon - Treasures from Luke) Beware (present imperative - command to continually take heed)(3708)(horao) means to see, observe, recognize, perceive, attend to (mentally and spiritually), and in this passage means to "see to it, take care, take heed." Jesus used this command several times in Matthew - Matt. 9:30; Matt. 16:6; Matt. 18:10; Matt. 24:6; and once in Mk. 8:15. Jesus uses horao in several warnings - Mt 8:4, Mt 9:30, Mt 16:6, Mt 18:10, Mt 24:6, Mk 1:44, 8:15, Jesus uses horao in John 6 "But I said to you, that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe." (Jn 6:36, cf Jn 6:46, 8:38, 9:37, 14:7, 9, 15:24, 20:29 John's witness - John 19:35) Be on your guard (present imperative - command to continually stand guard) (5442)(phulasso) means to watch, to carry out the function as a military guard or sentinel (cp Acts 23:35, 28:16), to keep watch, to have one's eye upon lest one escape, to guard a person that he might remain safe (from violence, from another person or thing, from being snatched away, from being lost). The NT uses phulasso of guarding truth (eg, 1Ti 5:21, 6:20, 2Ti 1:14+) Phulasso - 31x/31v - abstain(1), guard(8), guarded(1), guarding(1), guards(1), keep(5), keeping(2), keeps(1), kept(4), kept under guard(1), maintain(1), observe(2), preserved(1), protect(1), watching(1). Matt. 19:20; Mk. 10:20; Lk. 2:8; Lk. 8:29; Lk. 11:21; Lk. 11:28; Lk. 12:15; Lk. 18:21; Jn. 12:25; Jn. 12:47; Jn. 17:12; Acts 7:53; Acts 12:4; Acts 16:4; Acts 21:24; Acts 21:25; Acts 22:20; Acts 23:35; Acts 28:16; Rom. 2:26; Gal. 6:13; 2 Thess. 3:3; 1 Tim. 5:21; 1 Tim. 6:20; 2 Tim. 1:12; 2 Tim. 1:14; 2 Tim. 4:15; 2 Pet. 2:5; 2 Pet. 3:17; 1 Jn. 5:21; Jude 1:24 Greed (covetousness) (4124)(pleonexia from pleíon = more + écho = have) means literally to have more and describes a strong, insatiable desire to acquire more possessions for self, especially those things we have no right to possess. The desire to have more is irrespective of the need and thus the word always conveys a bad sense. Pleonexia has been defined as "the spirit which snatches (root verb echo = "to have") at that which it is not right to take, the baneful appetite for that which belongs to others." It is the spirit which snatches at things, not to hoard them like a miser, but to spend them in lust and luxury. Louw-Nida says pleonexia is "a strong desire to acquire more and more material possessions or to possess more things than other people have, all irrespective of need." Pleonexia - Matt. 5:20; Matt. 13:12; Matt. 14:20; Matt. 15:37; Matt. 25:29; Mk. 12:44; Lk. 9:17; Lk. 12:15; Lk. 15:17; Lk. 21:4; Jn. 6:12; Jn. 6:13; Acts 16:5; Rom. 3:7; Rom. 5:15; Rom. 15:13; 1 Co. 8:8; 1 Co. 14:12; 1 Co. 15:58; 2 Co. 1:5; 2 Co. 3:9; 2 Co. 4:15; 2 Co. 8:2; 2 Co. 8:7; 2 Co. 9:8; 2 Co. 9:12; Eph. 1:8; Phil. 1:9; Phil. 1:26; Phil. 4:12; Phil. 4:18; Col. 2:7; 1 Thess. 3:12; 1 Thess. 4:1; 1 Thess. 4:10 Has abundance (4052)(perisseuo from perissos = abundant, exceeding some number, measure, rank or need, over and above) means to cause to superabound, to be superfluous, to overflow, to be in affluence, to excel or to be in abundance with the implication of being considerably more than what would be expected. Perisseuo - 35v - Matt. 5:20; Matt. 13:12; Matt. 14:20; Matt. 15:37; Matt. 25:29; Mk. 12:44; Lk. 9:17; Lk. 12:15; Lk. 15:17; Lk. 21:4; Jn. 6:12; Jn. 6:13; Acts 16:5; Rom. 3:7; Rom. 5:15; Rom. 15:13; 1 Co. 8:8; 1 Co. 14:12; 1 Co. 15:58; 2 Co. 1:5; 2 Co. 3:9; 2 Co. 4:15; 2 Co. 8:2; 2 Co. 8:7; 2 Co. 9:8; 2 Co. 9:12; Eph. 1:8; Phil. 1:9; Phil. 1:26; Phil. 4:12; Phil. 4:18; Col. 2:7; 1 Thess. 3:12; 1 Thess. 4:1; 1 Thess. 4:10 Hampton Keathley IV - vs. 15. gives us a big clue as to what the point of the parable is. Jesus condemns greed and warns that even if the man gets a larger share of the inheritance, it will not bring life. People don’t believe this. They think that if they can only get enough material things these things will produce the abundant life. Do riches bring the abundant life? Listen to what Andrew Carnegie had to say: "Millionaires who laugh," said Andrew Carnegie, "are rare. “You may have all the money in the world, and yet be a lonely, sorrowing man.” Sir Earnest Cassel said, “The light has gone out of my life. I live in this beautiful house, which I have furnished with all the luxury and wonder of art; but, believe me, I no longer value my millions. I sit here for hours every night longing for my beloved daughter." And Christina Onassis said, "Happiness is not based on money and the greatest proof of that is our family." (Read her sad story) (Ed comment: Who knows how money warped Onassis? In the 1991 biography All the Pain That Money Can Buy, author William Wright details how Onassis spent $30,000 a pop to send a private jet to America to keep her stocked in Diet Coke, and once sent a helicopter from Austria to Switzerland to retrieve a David Bowie cassette she'd left there. When friends said they were too busy to spend time with her, Onassis would give them cash –– as much as $30,000 a month –– to clear their schedules.) Do you believe these stories? Or do you think it would be different for you if you had lots of money? (Ibid) GREED - ILLUSTRATIONS - In the days following her flight from the Philippines with her deposed husband, revelations about Imelda Marcos made her name a synonym for greed. What can a woman do with thousands of pairs of shoes? But the Imelda Marcos syndrome operates throughout the economic scale. The term “greed” means simply “a consuming desire to have more”; it has the nuance of a grasping for more, a lust to acquire. It is the very opposite of the contentment that accompanies true godliness (1 Timothy 6:6). Someone once asked John D. Rockefeller how much money was enough. “One dollar more,” he replied. The beast of greed is never full. It is insatiable. We miss the point, however, if we see covetousness as an issue of amount not attitude. The poorest can be greedy; the richest can avoid greed. But the danger of possessions is that they often arouse the desire for more. Ivan Boesky, who went to prison and paid a fine of $100 million for insider trading was, a few years earlier, the darling of Wall Street. During that time he declared at a graduation ceremony at a major university, “Greed is all right. I want you to know I think greed is healthy. You can be greedy and still feel good about yourself.” As Newsweek later commented, “The strangest thing when we look back will not be just that Ivan Boesky could say that at a business school graduation, but that it was greeted with laughter and applause” (December 1, 1986). In the 1950s, wrestling was almost as popular as it is at present (and just as authentic!). The European champion was Yussif the Turk, who came to America to fight Strangler Lewis for the “world championship” and $5,000. Yussif won and insisted that the $5,000 be paid in gold, which he stuffed into his championship belt. The money mattered so much that he refused to remove the belt until he had reached home safely. Boarding the first available ship to Europe, he headed home. But halfway across the Atlantic, the ship foundered in a storm and began to sink. In a panic, Yussif jumped for a lifeboat, missed, and went straight to the bottom. His golden belt had become a golden anchor, a vivid illustration of the Lord’s words. (Gary Inrig - Borrow The parables : understanding what Jesus meant - see page 93) Quotes on Greed and Covetousness Big mouthfuls often choke. Anon. No gain satisfies a greedy mind. Anon. Greed of gain is nothing less than the deification of self, and if our minds are set on hoarding wealth we are being idolatrous. John Blanchard Greed and ambition … the two sources from which stems the corruption of the whole of the ministry. John Calvin The lack of faith is the source of greed. John Calvin Somehow, for all the wondrous glimpses of ‘goodness’ I see in society, there remains the unmistakable stain of selfishness, violence and greed. John Dickson Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction. Erich Fromm If your desires be endless, your cares and fears will be so too. Thomas Fuller Riches have made more covetousness than covetousness has made rich men. Thomas Fuller The world provides enough for every man’s need but not for every man’s greed. Mohandas Gandhi That we shall carry nothing out of this world is a sentence better known than trusted, otherwise I think men would take more care to live well than to die rich. John P. K. Henshaw Whereas other vices grow as a man advances in life, avarice alone grows young. Jerome Avarice increases with the increasing pile of gold. Juvenal Nearly all those evils in the world which people put down to greed or selfishness are really far more the result of pride. C. S. Lewis Avarice is as destitute of what it has as poverty of what it has not. Publilius Syrus Poverty wants much; greed everything. Publilius Syrus Most men pray more for full purses than for pure hearts. Thomas Watson COVETOUSNESS Wealth is the devil’s stirrup whereby he gets up and rides the covetous. Thomas Adams He who coverts is poor, notwithstanding all he may have acquired. Ambrose Charity gives itself rich; covetousness hoards itself poor. Anon. Gold is the heaviest of all metals, but it is made more heavy by covetousness. Anon. Much trouble is caused by our yearnings getting ahead of our earnings. Anon. Seeking empties a life; giving fills it. Anon. Covetousness is a sin that comes earliest into the human heart, and is the last and most difficult to be driven out. George Barlow Covetousness makes us the slaves of the devil. John Calvin Faith is the sovereign antidote to covetousness. John Calvin Covetousness is the blight that is withering our church life in all directions. Samuel Chadwick When all sins are old in us and go upon crutches, covetousness does but then lie in her cradle. Thomas Decker Riches have made more covetous men than covetousness has made rich men. Thomas Fuller Covetousness is commonly a master-sin and has the command of other lusts. Matthew Henry Covetousness is spiritual idolatry; it is the giving of that love and regard to worldly wealth which are due to God only. Matthew Henry He is much happier that is always content, though he has ever so little, than he that is always coveting, though he has ever so much. Matthew Henry Poor people are as much in danger from an inordinate desire towards the wealth of the world as rich people from an inordinate delight in it. Matthew Henry The covetous man sits hatching upon his wealth and brooding over it, till it is fledged, as the young ones under the hen, and then it is gone. Matthew Henry Covetousness swallows down any lie. William Jenkyn The soul of man is infinite in what it covets. Ben Jonson Beware … of the beginnings of covetousness, for you know not where it will end. Thomas Manton There are two sins which were Christ’s sorest enemies, covetousness and envy. Covetousness sold Christ and envy delivered him. Thomas Manton Coveting is something we do with our hearts, not our hands or feet. Will Metzger We may love money without having it, just as we may have money without loving it. J. C. Ryle One can be covetous when he has little, much, or anything between, for covetousness comes from the heart, not from the circumstances of life. Charles Caldwell Ryrie Covetousness is both the beginning and the end of the devil’s alphabet—the first vice in corrupt nature that moves, and the last which dies. Robert South We need not covet money, for we shall always have our God, and God is better than gold, his favour is better than fortune. C. H. Spurgeon Covetous men, though they have enough to sink them yet have they never enough to satisfy them. John Trapp A man may be said to be given to covetousness when he takes more pains for getting earth than for getting heaven. Thomas Watson Covetousness is dry drunkenness. Thomas Watson Covetousness is not only in getting riches unjustly, but in loving them inordinately, which is a key that opens the door to all sin. Thomas Watson The itch of covetousness makes a man scratch what he can from another. Thomas Watson The sin of covetousness is the most hard to root out. Thomas Watson There is no better antidote against coveting that which is another’s than being content with that which is our own. Thomas Watson I have heard thousands of confessions, but never one of covetousness. Francis Xavier (From John Blanchard - The Complete Gathered Gold: A Treasury of Quotations for Christians) Steven
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Hughes - This is the only place in the Bible where retirement is spoken of, and here it is in the context of disapproval. Of course, the Bible recognizes aging and slowing down. But retiring to a life of self-indulgence finds no favor with God. This is the only place in the Bible where retirement is spoken of, and here it is in the context of disapproval. Of course, the Bible recognizes aging and slowing down. But retiring to a life of self-indulgence finds no favor with God....A retirement that lives for self is unbiblical and immoral. If the rich man had survived that night, he would have gone on to live a life of bored hedonism and perhaps would have ended up like the despairing young woman, exhausted by pleasure, who when told she should simply stop, responded with relief, “You mean I don’t have to do what I want to do? Hedonism aside, the glaring fault of this foolish man was that he was living as if there was no God. “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’ ” (Psalm 14:1). (See Luke That You May Know the Truth) Take your ease, eat, drink and be merry(cf. 1 Cor 15:32; Eccl 8:15; Isa 22:13) - Four commands (that will take a person straight to Hell!) This is the worldly man's mantra, who sees this present world as the place where it is "as good as it gets" so go for all the gusto! Hedonism is the pursuit of pleasure as a matter of ethical principle. Hedonism is a school of thought that argues that pleasure and happiness are the primary or most important intrinsic goods and the proper aim of human life. A hedonist strives to maximize net pleasure (pleasure minus pain), but when having finally gained that pleasure, either through intrinsic or extrinsic goods, happiness remains stationary.Ethical hedonism is the idea that all people have the right to do everything in their power to achieve the greatest amount of pleasure possible to them. Inrig adds "his life is characterized by hedonism. “I’ll say to myself, ‘… take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’ ” We should not miss the Lord’s point. Solomon tells us that it is a gift of God “that everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil” (Ecclesiastes 3:13). Paul tells us that our gracious God “provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (1 Timothy 6:17). It is right to enjoy what we have; it is wrong to believe that self-indulgent pleasure is the goal of life, as this man does. He believes that his wealth makes him master both of the present and the future. We can summarize his view of life in several phrases that ring through the years: “If I’m not good to myself, who will be?” “Success with possessions shows I’m a success as a person.” “The bigger the barn (or car or house), the better the life.” “If money can’t buy happiness, it can at least buy pleasure and security.” But, in a moment, the bubble bursts. (Borrow The parables : understanding what Jesus meant - see page 93) This man's hedonism is the antithesis of John Piper's "Christian Hedonism." = "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. Or: The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying him forever." Hughes - Like so many, the rich man was like an old tree—he was dead inside, even while displaying the vestiges of life. “And because we know we have breath in our mouth and think we have thought in our head, We shall assume that we are alive, whereas we are really dead.… ” “The Lamp of our Youth will be utterly out, but we shall subsist on the smell of it, And whatever we do, we shall fold our hands and suck our gums and think well of it. Yes, we shall be perfectly pleased with our work, And that is the perfectest Hell of it!” —RUDYARD KIPLING Do You Talk To Yourself? - Luke 12:19 Sitting in my car at the curb, waiting for my wife to finish shopping, I passed the time by watching the people walking by. I noticed one man in particular because he was deeply engrossed in talking to himself. What he said I don’t know, but it surely was a serious discussion. He reminded me of a man who, when asked why he always talked to himself, replied, “I have two reasons: First, I like to hear a smart man talk. And second, I like to talk to a smart man!” When people talk to themselves, what do they talk about? It can be either good or bad, for our words reveal what is in our heart. The rich man in Luke 12:16-21 talked boastfully to himself about his riches, and God called him a fool. The prodigal in Luke 15 talked to himself about his poverty, and he returned to his father. When you talk to yourself, you are simply thinking out loud, revealing what is in your heart. It could be said that we are what we think. If our thoughts are evil, we will be evil. If our thoughts are pure, our life will be pure. Lord, saturate my thoughts with truth, And let Your Word in me abide; While thinking on the pure and good, May my whole life be edified! —HGB To become Christlike, fill your mind with Christlike thoughts. Ready To Go? —Luke 12:16-21 A man decided to make all the necessary arrangements for the day of his funeral. He picked out a burial plot and chose the inscription he wanted carved on his headstone. A minister, who knew him well, heard that he was busily preparing for the inevitable day. So he went to the man and said, “I understand that you’ve done everything you can possibly do to provide a resting place for your body. Have you given any thought to a resting place for your soul?” The man was stunned by the question, for it was true that he hadn’t thought about getting ready for the life to come. After listening to the minister explain the gospel, he placed his trust in Christ for salvation and found assurance of eternal life and rest. Wise is the person who makes that all-important preparation, because everybody will spend eternity somewhere. Those who believe on Christ will enter the kingdom prepared for all who love Him; those who reject Christ will go into the everlasting fire (Matthew 25:34,41). O to be ready when death shall come! O to be ready to hasten Home! And sweetly, gently, to pass away From earth's dim twilight and into day. —Anon. Only those who are ready to die are ready to live. Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. —2 Corinthians 6:2 “It’s unsinkable!” That was the proud boast made by the builders of the Titanic, the magnificent ocean liner that on April 14, 1912, went down during its maiden voyage. Most of the 2,100 passengers were sent to their deaths. In an article for the Danish magazine Evangelisten, Ingvald Andersen told about one of the passengers, John Harper, who was a fervent witness for Christ. According to a survivor, on the evening of the disaster John had led a young Englishman to faith in the Savior. Soon afterward, John went for a walk on the deck with his daughter and a niece. As they were admiring the spectacular sunset, Harper said, “It is going to be beautiful in the morning.” For him and any other Christian who died that night, the next morning was beautiful. Theirs was sunrise on their first day in heaven. Andersen, as he related all of this, urged his readers to be certain of their own relationship to Jesus. Salvation deferred too long becomes the tragedy of too late. Luke 12:20 "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?' KJV Luke 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? But God said to him Luke 16:22,23; Ex 16:9,10; 1 Sa 25:36-38; 2 Sa 13:28,29; 1 Ki 16:9,10; Job 20:20-23; 27:8; Ps 73:19; 78:30; Da 5:1-6,25-30; Nahum 1:10; Mt 24:48-51; 1 Th 5:3 You fool! Luke 11:40; Jer 17:11; James 4:14 and now who will own what you have prepared? Esther 5:11; 8:1,2; Job 27:16,17; Ps 39:6; 49:17-19; 52:5-7; Pr 11:4; Pr 28:8; Eccl 2:18-22; 5:14-16; Jer 17:11; Da 5:28; 1 Ti 6:7 Luke 12 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 12:13-21 How To Be Really Rich - Steven Cole Luke 12:13-21 The Rich Fool - John MacArthur THE FOLLY OF GREED But God said to him, You fool (aphron) - The rich man was not a fool because he had a lot of possessions, but he was a fool because he had all the possessions but did not possess Jesus. He was a fool because he did not acknowledge you can't take it with you! He lived (and prepared) for the temporal, not the eternal! Oh, how poor this rich man really was! The world would call him WISE because he took such great care preparing for his earthly needs, but God called him a FOOL because he forgot about his heavenly needs. There is no bigger fool than he who does not prepare for the life to come!
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Hughes - He was a fool because life is short. A sensible person will choose what is best for the long run. He will consider what will be best for him between his twenty-thousandth year and his seventy-thousandth year, not just his three score and ten. The man was a fool because he did not reckon with the fragility of life. This is understandable when you are a child, but when you are thirty, or fifty, or seventy and you live as if what is now will always be, you are a fool and will, Jesus said with certainty, receive “what you have prepared for yourself.” (See Luke: That You May Know the Truth) Bock notes that aphron "is an important term, for in the OT a fool is one who either acts without God or without wisdom about potential destruction." (Aphron is used in both Ps. 14:1 and Ps 53:1) (Luke 9:51-24:53 Baker Exegetical Commentary) ILLUSTRATION OF RICH FOOLS!!! - At least 12 American multimillionaires are looking forward to their lives beyond death. Confident in the continued progress of modern medicine, they have arranged for their bodies to be frozen after they have died. They have also have set up "personal revival trusts," which are designed to ensure their present wealth will be waiting for them when they have been resuscitated 100 or 200 years in the future. David Pizer, 64-years-old, presumes that the "roughly $10 million" he left to himself—after all the compound interest has been added in—will make him "the richest man in the world" when he wakes up. His attitude reflects the same attitude and presumption as the farmer. (Rod Mattoon - Treasures from Luke) YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU! This very night your soul (psuche) is required (apaiteo) of you; and now who will own what you have prepared? - Soul speaks of his life. Required of you is a term that speaks of paying back a loan. Everything he thought he had was not really his, but ultimately belonged to God. This is true of all of us beloved. It is all HIS! Who will own what you have prepared speaks of the futility of storing up wealth on earth and not in heaven! Inrig adds that "The word demanded (apaiteo) is a commercial term, used of a loan. At this crisis point he discovers a truth that everyone learns sooner or later. God owns life, and He merely loans our earthly existence to us. At any time He can call in His loan. The fool also has no power over the future: “Who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” As the writer of Ecclesiastes laments, “I must leave [my wealth] to the one who comes after me. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool?” (Ecclesiastes 2:18-19)." (Borrow The parables : understanding what Jesus meant - see page 93) NET Note on your soul - (psuche) is frequently used of one's physical life. It clearly has that meaning in this context. (Luke 12)
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Hughes says "The preceding parable about the folly of the rich fool's greed is intimately connected with the following text, which deals with worry. "Greed can never get enough, worry is afraid it may not have enough." (quote from Leon Morris) Worry is the emotional reward of material preoccupation. Jesus understood that worry about the things of life could undo a disciple's career." (Preaching the Word - Luke, Volume II: That You May Know the Truth) Steven
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Hughes - Those who chose to be on the road with Jesus necessarily lived on the edge in respect to their food and clothing. If a disciple worried about breakfast, and then when breakfast was provided, thought, Whew! That's over. Now where will lunch come from? that disciple would soon become neutralized and spiritually ineffective. There is a broad application of this truth to all would-be disciples of Jesus in today's culture, because modern culture is neurotic about food, drink, and clothing. TV ads feed our neuroses with alluring images of lithe legs in jeans and painted lips ecstatically downing chips and prunes and libations. Perhaps nothing does this better than airline magazines with their sumptuous beaux arts ads for champagne, antiques, carpets, watches, and "esoteric shopping sprees in Rome." Every product imaginable for the body is promoted—how to tan it, massage it, pamper it, clothe it, drug it, and stimulate it. Modern culture addresses worries we did not know we had, worries that neutralize our discipleship. But Jesus commands us not to worry about life. "Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes" (Luke 12:23). We must reject the popular reductionist view of life that claims we are just bodies that need to be fed, watered, clothed, and serviced—putting us on the same level as plants and animals and reducing "God" to our needs. Life is more than a good meal and a new outfit. And it is certainly more than worrying about these things. (See Luke: That You May Know the Truth) Luke 12:24 "Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! KJV Luke 12:24 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? Consider the ravens - 1 Ki 17:1-6; Job 38:41; Ps 145:15-16; 147:9; Mark 6:26 how much more valuable you are than the birds! Luke 12:7,30-32; Job 35:11; Mt 10:31 Luke 12 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 12:22-34 How to Solve Worries About Money - Steven Cole Luke 12:22-25 Anxiety-Free Living, Pt. 1 - John MacArthur Related Passages: Matthew 6:26+ “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? (Note: Ravens in Luke, birds of the air in Matthew) Psalm 145:15-16 The eyes of all look to You, And You give them their food in due time. 16 You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing. Psalm 147:9 He gives to the beast its food, And to the young ravens which cry. Job 38:41 “Who prepares for the raven its nourishment When its young cry to God And wander about without food? PONDER GOD'S CARE FOR BIRDS Consider (katanoeo) the ravens (korax), for they neither sow (speiro) nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them - Consider (katanoeo) is a command in the aorist imperative calling for immediate obedience to give careful attention and consideration to this truth. It is like He is saying to them "Have you ever seen a raven dying from starvation?" Of course not! Jesus picks the lowly raven to contrast with the rich fool in the previous parable. The rich fool sowed, reaped and reasoned he could store up for years to come! What a contrast with the lowly raven, an unclean scavenger! In the argument from lesser to greater, Jesus first reminds the disciples of truths that they knew were actual facts. Jesus may have even pointed to ravens flying over them. The disciples knew full well that very few birds make a living from farming. You never see a raven planting some corn. God feeds the birds. And aren't you worth more than the birds to God? Yet God feeds them does not mean that Jesus is saying we should not work. David Guzik Yet take careful note: the birds don’t worry, but they do work. Birds don’t just sit with open mouths, expecting God to fill them. How much more valuable (diaphero) you are than the birds! - An "a fortiori" argument. Earlier sparrows, now ravens (which were even considered unclean - Lev 11:15), are both valuable to God and are both cared for by God. How much more will He care for those created in His own image, those whom He loved and for whom He gave His only begotten Son (Jn 3:16). If God takes care of birds, will He not care for His own creation, especially those who believe in Him and become His own children (Jn 1:12)? The answer is obvious and should serve as an antidote for anxiety. David Guzik The worry many people have over the material things of life is rooted in a low understanding of their value before God. They don’t comprehend how much He loves and cares for them.
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Hughes on ravens - These insolent, squawking birds know nothing of the prudential habits of a farmer (note the farm language here: “sow … reap … storeroom…barn”), and yet God feeds them. Jesus says, in effect, “Consider the birds and then consider yourself”—“And how much more valuable you are than birds!” (v. 24b). We are much more valuable than a bunch of rascally crows, and God will take care of us. (See Luke: That You May Know the Truth) Rod Mattoon asks an interesting question - Are you suffering from worry? Jesus tells us we can alleviate or put an end to the daily grind of stress and worry by bird watching, specifically speaking.... the raven. What? Run that by me again. Yes, you heard it right. Jesus points us to the ravens and tells us, "Watch how I take care of them." (Rod Mattoon - Treasures from Luke) Leon
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Hughes - Luther quaintly said of the lesson of the flowers: “It seems … that the flowers stand there and make us blush and become our teachers. Thank you, flowers, you who are to be devoured by the cows! God has exalted you very highly, that you become our masters and teachers.” We are to consider the flowers, then consider ourselves. If we persist in worry, it is because we are “of little faith”—we do not believe God’s Word. It is as simple as that! We do not believe he is in control. We do not believe he is capable of taking care of us. We do not believe what his Word tells us about his love and care for his own. Disbelief is the midwife of worry. (See Luke : That You May Know the Truth) Steven
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Hughes - Worriers fear, worriers suffer, worriers wither and twist and die. Worry takes a terrible toll, and we see it every day—the stammer in mid-sentence, the distractedness, the missed appointment, the wasted hour in front of the TV, the second pack of cigarettes. Worry is not a moral virtue in a disciple of Christ. Worry is not something to be proud of. It is a desiccator, a shriveler. (See Luke: That You May Know the Truth) Can (is able)(1410) dunamai of capacity or ability be able, be capable of, can, have power to; with an infinitive supplied or implied of what one is able to do (Mt 3.9; 16.3). To have power whether by virtue of one’s own ability and resources Ro15:14 Dunamai in Luke and Acts - Lk. 1:20; Lk. 1:22; Lk. 3:8; Lk. 5:12; Lk. 5:21; Lk. 5:34; Lk. 6:39; Lk. 6:42; Lk. 8:19; Lk. 9:40; Lk. 11:7; Lk. 12:25; Lk. 12:26; Lk. 13:11; Lk. 14:20; Lk. 14:26; Lk. 14:27; Lk. 14:33; Lk. 16:2; Lk. 16:13; Lk. 16:26; Lk. 18:26; Lk. 19:3; Lk. 20:36; Lk. 21:15; Acts 4:16; Acts 4:20; Acts 5:39; Acts 8:31; Acts 10:47; Acts 13:39; Acts 15:1; Acts 17:19; Acts 19:40; Acts 20:32; Acts 21:34; Acts 24:8; Acts 24:11; Acts 24:13; Acts 25:11; Acts 26:32; Acts 27:12; Acts 27:15; Acts 27:31; Acts 27:39; Acts 27:43 Hour (4083)(pechus) literally means refers to the forearm as a measure of length and then comes to mean a cubit (equivalent to 17.5 inches, 1.5 feet, or 0.46 meter). Vine writes pechus "denotes the forearm, i.e., the part between the hand and the elbow-joint; hence, "a measure of length," not from the wrist to the elbow, but from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow joint, i.e., about a foot and a half, or a little less than two feet. Pechus - 4x in 4v - hour(2), yards(2) - Mt. 6:27; Lk. 12:25; Jn. 21:8; Rev. 21:17 Pechus is uses 230x in 122 verses in the Septuagint - Gen. 6:15-16; 7:20; Exod. 25:10,17,23; 26:2,8,13,16; 27:1,9,11ff,18; 30:2; 37:2,10-13,16; Num. 35:4-5; Deut. 3:11; Jos. 3:4; 1 Sam. 17:4; 1 Ki. 6:2-3,6,10,16-17,20,23-24,26; 7:3-4,8,10-11,14,18,21,39,43; 2 Ki. 14:13; 25:17; 2 Chr. 3:3-4,8,11-13,15; 4:1-3; 6:13; 25:23; Ezr. 6:3; Neh. 3:13; Est. 5:14; 7:9; Prov. 31:19; Zech. 5:2; Jer. 52:21-22; Ezek. 40:5,7,9,11ff,19,21,23,25,27,29,33,36,42,47-49; 41:1ff,8ff,22; 42:2,4,7-8,17,20; 43:13ff; 45:2; 46:22; Dan. 3:1,47; Life's span (2244) helika has two main senses - (1) speaks of as the time of a person's life on earth (the period of time that one’s life continues) and so their span of life, age, time of life (Mt 6:27, Lk 12:25, perhaps Lk 2:52). It can refer to a particular period of life - of mature age, adulthood, maturity, age of legal maturity ("he is of age" = Jn 9:21, 23). past the normal age to bear children = Heb 11:11 (2) bodily stature Lk 19:3. This meaning is also possible for Lk 2:52 and is probable for Mt 6:27 = Lk 12:25. Helika is used figuratively of the age which is sufficient or requisite for certain things as in Eph 4:13 = "to a mature man (to the measure of the full maturity of Christ - the spiritual maturity for which all believers should strive!)." Finally, as here in Lk 19:3 helika can refer to one's physical size or bodily stature. Stature is used of Jesus in Lk 2:52 describing His growth as a child but could also include His growth in maturity. Helika is found in the Septuagint only in Ezekiel 13:18 and Job 29:18. Helika - 8v - age(2), life(2), life's span(1), stature(3). Matt. 6:27; Lk. 2:52; Lk. 12:25; Lk. 19:3; Jn. 9:21; Jn. 9:23; Eph. 4:13; Heb. 11:11 Forget Worry - Perhaps you've participated in an experiment where you were given a phrase like "red car" and then were asked to put it out of your mind. But the harder you tried, the more the "red car" dominated your thoughts. This kind of exercise shows that we can never forget something by concentrating on it. Anxious thoughts, our natural response to the cares of life, are like that. Many of us spend sleepless nights trying to solve complex problems, and all we accomplish is fixing them more firmly in our minds. The Bible says that instead of being weighed down by our concerns, we should give them to God. The apostle Peter put it this way: "[Cast] all your care upon Him, for He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7). And in Philippians 4:6, the apostle Paul gave similar instruction. Jesus told His disciples not to worry about the necessities of life, because "your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things" (Matthew 6:32). When we give all our cares to God, Our worries will depart; He gives to us a peace of mind That calms our anxious heart. —Sper The more you think about God's goodness, the less you'll think about your worries. How Will My Worry Look?—Luke 12:25 Hans Christian Andersen, author of such well-known fairy tales as “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” had a phobia of being buried alive. As a result, he always carried a note in his pocket telling anyone who might find him unconscious not to assume he was dead. He often left another note on his bedside table stating, “I only seem dead.” Such was his anxiety until he finally succumbed to cancer in 1875. We may think such a fear is strange, but do we have fears that will someday look just as irrational? Is it possible that the day will come when we look back and marvel at our own anxieties? Will we one day wonder at that foolish person who chose to worry rather than to pray? Will time eventually cast us as a pitiful person who was plagued by fear because we did not face life with the resources lavished on us by the Almighty Lord of the universe? Worrying doesn’t change anything. But trusting the Lord changes everything about the way we view life. A Strategy For Winning Over Worry Identify specific worries. Work to change what you can. Leave what you can't change with God. When we put our cares in God's hands, He puts His peace in our hearts. Luke 12:26 "If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? KJV Luke 12:26 If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? why do you worry about other matters Luke 12:29; Ps 39:6; Eccl 7:13; 1Pet 5:7 Luke 12 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 12:22-34 How to Solve Worries About Money - Steven Cole Luke 12:25-31 Anxiety-Free Living, Pt. 2 - John MacArthur Related Passages: Psalm 39:6 “Surely every man walks about as a phantom; Surely they make an uproar for nothing; He amasses riches and does not know who will gather them. Ecclesiastes 7:13 Consider the work of God, For who is able to straighten what He has bent? 1 Peter 5:7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. THE UTTER FUTILITY OF CONTINUAL WORRY If then you cannot do even a very little thing - (First class conditional = assumed to be the case) If (or "since") you cannot even add 60 minutes to your life, which you cannot, then why worry! In fact instead of lengthening our life, worry can contribute to actually shortening our life! See secular Article. Why do you worry (merimnao - present tense - continually worry) about other matters - Indeed, why worry when you have such a great giving God to believe in? Worry gains nothing positive, nothing of value and in fact steals our joy and hope while adding unneeded stress! Kierkegaard said, "No Grand Inquisitor has in readiness such terrible tortures as anxiety." We need to remember the maxim that God Who takes care of our growth will take care of all our needs. In the following passages the other matters refers to clothing (Lk 12:27-28) and food and drink (Lk 12:29). Worriers feel every blow That never falls And they cry over things| They will never lose. Bock says it this way - Jesus develops his rationale about the pointlessness of worrying: if a person cannot do a little thing like adding a little time to one’s life span, then why worry about other matters that may well be beyond one’s control and will not add to one’s life....The disciples cannot add to their life by worry, so energy is wasted when it is directed toward things over which one has no control. The Matthean parallel lacks this remark. (Luke 9:51-24:53 Baker Exegetical Commentary) Steven
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Hughes - Worry is intrinsically useless, and especially so for Christians because God knows what we need. When Lincoln was on his way to Washington to be inaugurated, he spent some time in New York with Horace Greeley and told him an anecdote that was meant to be an answer to the question everybody was asking him: Are we really going to have a civil war? In his circuit-riding days Lincoln and his companions, riding to the next session of court, had crossed many swollen rivers on one particular journey, but the formidable Fox River was still ahead of them. They said one to another, “If these streams give us so much trouble, how shall we get over the Fox River?” When darkness fell, they stopped for the night at a log tavern, where they fell in with the Methodist presiding elder of the district who rode through the country in all kinds of weather and knew all about the Fox River. They gathered about him and asked him about the present state of the river. “Oh, yes,” replied the circuit rider, “I know all about the Fox River. I have crossed it often and understand it well. But I have one fixed rule with regard to the Fox River—I never cross it till I reach it.” Worry projects the worst: the Fox becomes the mighty Mississippi at flood stage. The worrier is perpetually going unfed and unclothed. Worry loads the present with the weight of the future. And when you load the troubles you are anticipating upon the troubles you are presently experiencing, you give yourself an impossible burden. As George MacDonald wisely put it: “No man ever sank under the burden of the day. It is when tomorrow’s burden is added to the burden of today, that the weight is more than a man can bear.” Jesus said just that in his summary statement of the parallel passage in Matthew: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34). (See Luke: That You May Know the Truth) Seek (2212)(zeteo) implies giving attention and priority to and deliberately pursuing after. Zēteō means “to look for” or “to seek.” In classical Greek it is often used as a technical term for philosophical investigation, something “examined, considered” or “deliberated.” The most striking application of zēteō is the New Testament religious application. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. This implies far more than a mere “looking around” as can be seen in Matthew 6:32, 33; 13:45, 46; and Luke 15:8. To seek in this way is to diligently, earnestly, and tenaciously search after something, sparing no effort or expense, for the sought object is valued to the highest degree. Likewise, believers are to seek God in the same way. Zeteo in Luke and Acts - Lk. 2:48; Lk. 2:49; Lk. 5:18; Lk. 6:19; Lk. 9:9; Lk. 11:9; Lk. 11:10; Lk. 11:16; Lk. 11:24; Lk. 11:29; Lk. 12:29; Lk. 12:31; Lk. 13:6; Lk. 13:7; Lk. 13:24; Lk. 15:8; Lk. 17:33; Lk. 19:3; Lk. 19:10; Lk. 19:47; Lk. 20:19; Lk. 22:2; Lk. 22:6; Lk. 24:5; Acts 9:11; Acts 10:19; Acts 10:21; Acts 13:8; Acts 13:11; Acts 16:10; Acts 17:5; Acts 17:27; Acts 21:31; Acts 27:30 Worrying (3349)(meteorizomai from metá = denoting change of place or condition + aeírō = form of aírō = to raise) means literally to lift up on high. This verb is used only here in NT in a figurative sense speaking of the mind, "meaning to be in suspense or of a doubtful mind, anxious, fluctuating between hope and fear. " (Zodhiates) Thayer says it is "a metaphor taken from ships that are tossed about on the deep by winds and waves, to cause one to waver or fluctuate in mind, to agitate or harass with cares to render anxious." Gilbrant - In classical Greek and in the papyri meteōrizomai means “to raise on high,” “to exalt,” or “to suspend.” It implies the suspending of an object or even a person in midair. Figuratively, meteōrizomai is used in two ways: (1) “to raise up someone by hope,” “to lift up oneself,” “to be proud or arrogant”; (2) “to be unsettled, anxious, tense” or “to be suspended between fear and hope” (Liddell-Scott). (In Lk 12:29) The context indicates the second and less familiar meaning of “being anxious, doubtful” or suspended between fear and hope. (Complete Biblical Library) Meteorizomai - 7x in 6v in the Septuagint - Ps. 131:1; Ezek. 10:16; Ezek. 10:17; Ezek. 10:19; Obad. 1:4; Mic. 4:1 Ps 131:1 O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; Nor do I involve myself in great matters, Or in things too difficult for me. Obadiah 1:4 “Though you build high like the eagle, Though you set your nest among the stars, From there I will bring you down,” declares the LORD. Mic 4:1 - And it will come about in the last days That the mountain of the house of the LORD Will be established as the chief of the mountains. It will be raised above the hills, And the peoples will stream to it ILLUSTRATION - I recently read that illustrates the world’s ways of seeking after more and more. An American businessman was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The Mexican replied, “Only a little while.” The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish? The Mexican said that he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs. The American then asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?” The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening, where I sip wine and play my guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life, senor.” The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then to L.A. and eventually to New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise.” The Mexican fisherman asked, “But senor, how long will this all take?” The American replied, “Fifteen to twenty years.” “But what then, senor?” The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right you would announce a stock offer, sell your company stock to the public, and become very rich. You would make millions.” “Millions, senor? Then what?” The American said, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings, where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.” (Steven Cole) George Sweeting - Our English word worry is equivalent to the Greek word merimnao. It is a combination of two words: merizo, meaning "to divide," and nous, meaning "mind." Worry really means "to divide the mind." It means we are double-minded rather than single-minded. The apostle James warned, "A double-minded man [is] unstable in all his ways" (James 1:8). When we are double-minded, we resemble a monster with two heads facing in opposite directions, or we are like rudderless boats, unable to steer straight, "driven and tossed by the wind" (James 1:6). Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the great nineteenth-century preacher, once said that he worried for weeks before a speaking engagement, even to the extent of hoping he would break a leg and miss the event. When he finally entered the pulpit to give the speech, he was exhausted! Then Spurgeon faced up to his fear. He asked himself, What is the worst thing that could happen to me during my sermon? Whatever it was, he decided, the heavens would not collapse. He knew that He had been magnifying his fears. Once he faced his worries for what they were, he relaxed, simply because his mind was no longer divided. ILLUSTRATION - While touring Italy, a man visited a cathedral that had been completed only on the outside. Once inside, the traveler found an artist kneeling before an enormous wall upon which he had just begun to create a mosaic. On some tables nearby were thousands of pieces of colored ceramic. Curious, the visitor asked the artist how he would ever finish such a large project. The artist answered that he knew how much he could accomplish in one day. Each morning, he marked off an area to be completed that day and didn't worry about what remained outside that space. That was the best he could do; and if he faithfully did his best, one day the mosaic would be finished. We are to be concerned about today and what God wants us to do today. Tomorrow will take care of itself. Luke 12:30 "For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. KJV For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. NIV - For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek Mt 5:47; 6:32; Eph 4:17; 1 Th 4:5; 1 Pet 4:2-4 your Luke 12:32; Mt 6:1,8,32; 10:20; 18:14; Jn 20:17 Luke 12 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 12:22-34 How to Solve Worries About Money - Steven Cole Luke 12:25-31 Anxiety-Free Living, Pt. 2 - John MacArthur DON'T IMITATE THE PAGANS For (gar) - term of explanation. Jesus is explaining what we must stopping seeking and stop being overly concerned about our pantry and our clothes closet. All these things the nations of the world eagerly seek - "For all the nations of the world pursue these things."
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Hughes - Heart and treasure always go together. Your heart, the center of your being, is where your valuables, your energies, your time, all the things you value most, are. Where is your heart? In your barns and storehouses? In a Swiss bank account? On the golf course? In your home? In your kitchen? In your yard? In your wardrobe? In your car? Or is it in Heaven? In your church? In the inner city of Chicago? In the poor? In Africa or China or South America or the islands of the sea? If it is there, you have no worries! (See Luke: That You May Know the Truth) The heart of the issue regarding wealth and possessions is the heart. If our heart is rightly focused on the things above and not on the things of the earth, we will gladly, generously give to the eternal work of the Lord (cf Lk 12:33). Do not misunderstand what Jesus is saying. He is not saying that if put our earthly treasure in "heaven", then our heart's location will follow suit. He is saying that where our treasure is located is a clear indicator of where our heart is focused. Our heart is used figuratively to describe the very center of our lives and thus it follows that it cannot be in heaven and on earth simultaneously. Jesus says the heart of the matter is that it is an "either-or proposition!" Beloved, let us study the meaning of kardia, but let us be far more serious about guarding our kardia during our short time on earth (see Pr 4:23-note, 1Ti 4:7, 8-note, 2Co 5:9-note 2Co 5:10-note,
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Hughes - There are 260 chapters in the New Testament, and Christ's return is mentioned no less than 318 times in those chapters. Statistically, one verse in twenty-five mentions the Lord's return. The only books that don't mention the Second Advent are Galatians (which is focused on refuting the Judaizers) and the tiny letters of 2 and 3 John. (See Luke: That You May Know the Truth) And for the hope of His return, Dear Lord, Your Name we praise; With longing hearts we watch and wait; For that great day of days!” - Sherwood Steven
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Hughes - The "servant" here has not simply been lazy or indolent but monstrously unfaithful—a drunken glutton who beats not only men but women—an abuser of both divine trust and human life. His life is a grotesque perversion. When the master (Jesus) returns, the cruel servant suffers a grisly end, and Christ pronounces him to be an "unbeliever." Those in Christian leadership may profess what they will. They can use every Christian cliche, hold the Bible like Billy Graham and say "The Bible says," build a following in wide Christian circles, but if that man or woman consistently behaves in an unchristian way, he or she is not a true believer. Paul told the Ephesians: "For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them" (Ephes. 5:5-7). And listen to St. John: "This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother" (1 John 3:10). Everything will be revealed when Jesus returns, so we must make sure our life matches our profession. Everything will be put right, and the truth will be known at last! There will be justice on earth. .(See Luke: That You May Know the Truth) Pulpit Commentary on cut and place - The expression is, however, used as simply implying that a terrible doom is surely reserved in the life to come for those who have so sadly misused their high opportunities and neglected their great responsibilities. "The image of the parable itself is blended with the reality which the parable signifies; this thought of the human master who can punish his slaves with temporal death passes into that of the Divine Judge who can punish with spiritual death" (Dean Mansel). NET Note on unbelievers - Or "unbelieving." Here the translation employs the slightly more ambiguous "unfaithful," which creates a link with the point of the parable - faithfulness versus unfaithfulness in servants. The example of this verse must be taken together with the examples of Lk 12:47–48 as part of a scale of reactions with the most disobedient response coming here. The fact that this servant is placed in a distinct group, unlike the one in Lk 47–48, also suggests ultimate exclusion. This is the hypocrite of Mt 24:51. (Luke 12) John
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Hughes - Equity at the end of this unfair world is a delectable thought. Praise God that he is such a judge that nothing will get by him. Praise him for his fairness. And, of course, praise him for his grace—our only hope. (See Luke: That You May Know the Truth) Norman Crawford - This part of the parable is most important teaching. It shows that God's punishment of evil is in accordance with the light and knowledge of the evildoer. Two sinners may commit the same act, yet one may have a greater measure of guilt than the other, and this is measured according to the knowledge of each one. The Lord Jesus taught this principle to Pilate (John 19:11). (What the Bible teaches – Luke) Get ready (prepare) (2090) hetoimazo from heteos = fitness - see word hetoimasia) means to make ready, specifically to make ready beforehand for some purpose, use, or activit.. It means put or keep in readiness, prepare Mt 22:4; 25:34, 41; Mk 1:3; Lk 22:13; J 14:2f; Rv 9:7; 21:2; make preparations Lk 9:52. Hetoimazo - 40v - get ready(1), get...ready(1), made ready(1), made...ready(1), make arrangements(1), make ready(4), prepare(11), prepared(20). Matt. 3:3; Matt. 20:23; Matt. 22:4; Matt. 25:34; Matt. 25:41; Matt. 26:17; Matt. 26:19; Mk. 1:3; Mk. 10:40; Mk. 14:12; Mk. 14:15; Mk. 14:16; Lk. 1:17; Lk. 1:76; Lk. 2:31; Lk. 3:4; Lk. 9:52; Lk. 12:20; Lk. 12:47; Lk. 17:8; Lk. 22:8; Lk. 22:9; Lk. 22:12; Lk. 22:13; Lk. 23:56; Lk. 24:1; Jn. 14:2; Jn. 14:3; Acts 23:23; 1 Co. 2:9; 2 Tim. 2:21; Phlm. 1:22; Heb. 11:16; Rev. 8:6; Rev. 9:7; Rev. 9:15; Rev. 12:6; Rev. 16:12; Rev. 19:7; Rev. 21:2 Will (2307) thelema rom thelo = to will with the "-ma" suffix indicating the result of the will = "a thing willed") generally speaks of the result of what one has decided. One sees this root word in the feminine name "Thelma." In its most basic form, thelema refers to a wish, a strong desire, and the willing of some event. (Note: See also the discussion of the preceding word boule for comments relating to thelema).Zodhiates says that thelema is the "Will, not to be conceived as a demand, but as an expression or inclination of pleasure towards that which is liked, that which pleases and creates joy. When it denotes God's will, it signifies His gracious disposition toward something. Used to designate what God Himself does of His own good pleasure. (Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament) Thelema - 59x./54v - desire(1), desires(1), will(57). Matt. 6:10; Matt. 7:21; Matt. 12:50; Matt. 18:14; Matt. 21:31; Matt. 26:42; Mk. 3:35; Lk. 12:47; Lk. 22:42; Lk. 23:25; Jn. 1:13; Jn. 4:34; Jn. 5:30; Jn. 6:38; Jn. 6:39; Jn. 6:40; Jn. 7:17; Jn. 9:31; Acts 13:22; Acts 21:14; Acts 22:14; Rom. 1:10; Rom. 2:18; Rom. 12:2; Rom. 15:32; 1 Co. 1:1; 1 Co. 7:37; 1 Co. 16:12; 2 Co. 1:1; 2 Co. 8:5; Gal. 1:4; Eph. 1:1; Eph. 2:3; Eph. 5:17; Eph. 6:6; Col. 1:1; Col. 1:9; Col. 4:12; 1 Thess. 4:3; 1 Thess. 5:18; 2 Tim. 1:1; 2 Tim. 2:26; Heb. 10:7; Heb. 10:9; Heb. 10:10; Heb. 10:36; Heb. 13:21; 1 Pet. 2:15; 1 Pet. 4:2; 1 Pet. 4:19; 2 Pet. 1:21; 1 Jn. 2:17; 1 Jn. 5:14; Rev. 4:11 Receive...lashes (1194)(dero) literally meant to remove the skin (flay = strip off skin) and in the NT is used to depict the action of whipping, beating, thrashing or scourging in a manner calculated to take off the skin (Mt. 21:35; Mk 12:3, 5; Lk 20:10, 11; Ac 16:37; 22:19). Dero is used with its literal meaning once in the Septuagint (2Chr 29:34). Dero - 15x in the NT most often by Luke - Matt. 21:35; Mk. 12:3, 5; 3:9; Lk. 12:47; 12:48; 20:10; 20:11; 22:63; Jn. 18:23; Acts 5:40; Acts 16:37; Acts 22:19; 1 Co. 9:26; 2 Co. 11:20 Luke 12:48 but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more. KJV Luke 12:48 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. NET Luke 12:48 But the one who did not know his master's will and did things worthy of punishment will receive a light beating. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required, and from the one who has been entrusted with much, even more will be asked. NLT Luke 12:48 But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required. but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few Lev 5:17; Acts 17:30; Ro 2:12-16; 1 Ti 1:13 From everyone who has been given much, much will be required Luke 16:2,10-12; Ge 39:8-23; Mt 25:14-29; Jn 15:22; 1 Cor 9:17,18; 1 Ti 1:11,13; 6:20; Titus 1:3; James 3:1; Luke 12 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 12:35-48 Are You Ready for Christ’s Return? - Steven Cole Luke 12:41-48 Reward and Punishment at Christ's Return - John MacArthur Related Passage: Ecclesiastes 12:14 For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil. Matthew 10:15 “Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city. Matthew 11:21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. Matthew 11:22 “Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. Matthew 11:24 “Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.” DEGREE OF PUNISHMENT PROPORTIONAL TO RESPONSE But the one who did not know (ginosko) it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging (plege), will receive (dero) but few - But (term of contrast) indicates in contrast to those to whom much had been entrusted. This one did not know the will of the master, thus he is less responsible. He has sinned against lesser light. Sinning in ignorance receives a lesser penalty. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required - This is an axiomatic principle for both believers and non-believers. Henry
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Hughes - The thrust of Jesus' message can be summed up in two words: Get ready! His return is as sure as his Incarnation. The Second Advent of Christ is as sure as the First Advent. He will come when least expected. CNN will not expect it. Wall Street will have no hint. The nations will have no clue. The world's religions disbelieve it. To these, he is coming like a thief in the night! Revelation closes with Jesus' promise, "Yes, I am coming soon." And we say with the people of God, "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus" (Rev. 22:20). How can we be ready? By living a godly life that reflects the abundant truth God has given us. "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:11-13). By joyful service. "Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him" (Luke 12:35, 36). Roll up your sleeves, turn the lights on, get ready—Jesus is coming soon! (See Luke: That You May Know the Truth) Flogging (beatings, wound, plaque) (4127) plege from plesso = to strike) means a literal blow as from some instrument like a whip (in plural = beating in Lk 12:48; cf Acts 16:23; 2Co 11:23). Plege described the result of the blows, and so referred to wound, bruise (Acts 16:33, Rev 13:14). The third sense of plege was to describe a sudden calamity causing severe distress such as a "blow" or "stroke" of judgment sent by God (plague, misfortune, calamity - Rev 9:18, 20; 18:4, 8; 22:18). In the Septuagint plege is used to describe the 10 plagues in Egypt (Ex 11:1) and the protection of the blood of the lamb on the doorposts and lintels of the Jewish homes that saved them from the "plague." Plege - 21v - beat*(1), beaten(1), beatings(1), blows(1), flogging(1), plague(3), plagues(10), wound(3), wounds(1). Lk. 10:30; Lk. 12:48; Acts 16:23; Acts 16:33; 2 Co. 6:5; 2 Co. 11:23; Rev. 9:18; Rev. 9:20; Rev. 11:6; Rev. 13:3; Rev. 13:12; Rev. 13:14; Rev. 15:1; Rev. 15:6; Rev. 15:8; Rev. 16:9; Rev. 16:21; Rev. 18:4; Rev. 18:8; Rev. 21:9; Rev. 22:18 Rod Mattoon - What are you doing with your life? Is Jesus first? Are you living for Him? That is what really matters. Take heed to the words of C.T. Studd. Two little lines I heard one day, Traveling along life's busy way; Bringing conviction to my heart, And from my mind would not depart; Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last. Only one life, yes only one, Soon will its fleeting hours be done; Then, in 'that day' my Lord to meet, And stand before His Judgement seat; Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last. Only one life, the still small voice, Gently pleads for a better choice Bidding me selfish aims to leave, And to God's holy will to cleave; Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last. Only one life, a few brief years, Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears; Each with its clays I must fulfill, living for self or in His will; Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last. When this bright world would tempt me sore, When Satan would a victory score; When self would seek to have its way, Then help me Lord with joy to say; Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last. Give me Father, a purpose deep, In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep; Faithful and true what e'er the strife, Pleasing Thee in my daily life; Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last.322 Oh let my love with fervor burn, And from the world now let me turn; Living for Thee, and Thee alone, Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne; Only one life, "twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last. Only one life, yes only one, Now let me say, "Thy will be done"; And when at last I'll hear the call, I know I'll say "twas worth it all"; Only one life, 'twill soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last. (Rod Mattoon - Treasures from Luke) Much Received—Luke 12:48 Jeff, a 20-year-old in our community, has been given more than he deserves. He had deliberately dropped a brick from a highway overpass that went through the windshield of a car driven by Vickie Prantle. It split open her face, put out her right eye, destroyed her teeth, and necessitated a long series of painful surgeries. Jeff could have expected Vickie to have a vengeful attitude. But even as she awaited the paramedics, Vickie prayed for the grace to forgive the perpetrator. Later, she asked the judge to give Jeff a second chance, and he was sentenced to 90 days in a boot camp. “She gave me a gift,” he said, “and I’m going to take it to the fullest extent. I’m very thankful she was a Christian. If she wasn’t, I would still be locked up.” If that troubled young man puts his faith in Jesus Christ, he will fully reward Vickie for her gift. But if not, his guilt will increase on the final judgment day. Jesus said, “For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required” (Luke 12:48). Jeff has been given much. But so have you and I. We who know Christ have received something much greater—the salvation and forgiveness that Jesus gives. Thou hast bought us, and no longer Can we claim to be our own; Giving freely, naught withholding, We shall serve Thee, Lord, alone. —Murray Grace is an unearned blessing given by God to an unworthy recipient. Leadership—Luke 12:48 Leadership is a God-given privilege. There is no greater satisfaction than what comes from unselfishly seeking the physical and spiritual welfare of those entrusted to our care or supervision. William Wilberforce, popular leader in England from 1780 to 1833, died with the satisfaction that the emancipation bill for which he had expended so much of his time and energy would be passed. The end of slavery in the British Empire was assured. On the other hand, leadership is not always given recognition. A woman I knew, whose role had been that of mother and Sunday school teacher, faced death with contentment. She expressed gratitude to the Lord for entrusting these responsibilities to her and enabling her to fulfill them honorably. Leadership, however, can be abused. Those who vie for prestige, power, and expensive perks will someday appear before God to give an account. Psalm 82 describes God’s judgment of self-serving leaders. Use now what God has given you, Count not its worth as small; God does not ask of you great things, Just faithfulness—that's all! —Bosch Only as we follow Christ can we lead others in the right direction. Luke 12:49 "I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! KJV Luke 12:49 I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? come NET Luke 12:49 "I have come to bring fire on the earth– and how I wish it were already kindled! CSB Luke 12:49 "I came to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already set ablaze! ESV Luke 12:49 "I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! NIV Luke 12:49 "I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! NLT Luke 12:49 "I have come to set the world on fire, and I wish it were already burning! I have come to cast fire upon the earth Luke 12:51,52; Isa 11:4; Joel 2:30,31; Malachi 3:2,3; 4:1; Mt 3:10-12 and how I wish it were already kindled Luke 11:53,54; 13:31-33; 19:39,40; Jn 9:4; 11:8-10; 12:17-19 Luke 12 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 12:49-59 The Divisive Jesus - Steven Cole Luke 12:49-53 Jesus, the Great Divider - John MacArthur JESUS CAME TO CAST FIRE Be aware that there is some variation on the interpretation of the meaning of Jesus' words in this passage. Luke 12:49-59 breaks down into the cause of division (Lk 12:49-53), the call to consider the signs of the times (Lk 12:54-56) and the call to settle one's accounts (Lk 12:57-59) (The parallels to this text are also conceptual, as with many passages in this chapter. Luke 12:49-53 is like Matthew 10:34-36 and Mark 10:38. Luke 12:54-56 is tied to Matthew 16:2-3. Luke 12:57-59 is like Matthew 5:25-26. But the differences in setting and in vocabulary between these texts means they are not true parallel descriptions of the same event.) Jesus is beginning his final appeal to the nation of Israel to repent. In Lk 13:31-35 he warns what will happen if they fail to respond. (Luke NIV Application Commentary) I have come - This speaks of His incarnation in general but more specifically summarizes His 3 year ministry. This exact phrase I have come is spoken by Jesus 7 verses in the Gospels in - Lk. 12:49; 13:7; Jn. 5:43; 6:38,42; 12:46; 18:37. John