Lucas 12
Leon Morris · Citado em PreceptAustin
Lucas 12
Morris reminds us Jesus "came to bring people to God, not to bring property to people. In this situation He was concerned with the attitudes of those involved, not with who got what." (Borrow The Gospel According to St. Luke: An Introduction and Commentary) William
Lucas 12
Morris puts it, “Jesus leaves His hearers in no doubt but that eternal issues are involved in their attitude to Him” ((Borrow The Gospel According to St. Luke: An Introduction and Commentary). Salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. One who has truly been saved will openly confess that fact. The question then is, How do we confess Christ, especially in the face of persecution? To confess Christ, we must remember that all of life is lived under the Father’s gaze. - This is the thrust of Jesus’ words in Lu 12:2-3. Hypocrites live double lives, acting one way when they’re around the religious crowd, but living a different way when they’re alone. But that’s not a smart policy if there is an omniscient God who knows every thought we have. Genuine Christianity is a matter of the heart and it must be lived openly before the God who knows everything about us (Ps 139). When we sin even in our thoughts, we must confess it to Him. Then, with the inner person cleansed and with an awareness of His presence, we will be able to confess Christ openly to others. To confess Christ, we must fear the judgment of God more than we fear the judgment of men. - Jesus here tenderly addresses His followers as His friends. To be the friend of Jesus is far better than to be the foe of evil men. He tells us not to be afraid of those who can kill the body, but after that can do no more. Rather, we are to fear God who has the authority not only to kill our bodies, but also to cast our souls into hell. Some Christians say that we should always be positive and that we should only focus on God’s love. But, clearly, Jesus did not agree with that. Here He uses the fear of God’s judgment as a strong motivation for believers. We may fear rejection or even persecution by men. But we need to fear rejection and the ultimate persecution by God! This is a basic lesson that every man who teaches or preaches God’s Word must come to grips with. If you want everyone to like you and sing your praises, you will be unfaithful to God’s Word. The apostle Paul said (Ga 1:10), “For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.” He also said (1Th 2:3-4), “For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit; but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men but God, who examines our hearts.” You simply cannot be faithful to the message of the cross or to the holiness of God without stepping on some toes, no matter how tactfully you present it. So a basic requirement of every preacher and teacher is, you must fear God more than you fear men. But, what if men not only reject or slander us? What if they actively persecute us? To confess Christ, we must trust in the loving, providential care of the Father. - After telling us to fear God, Jesus tenderly tells us of His providential care for us and then says, “Do not fear” [men]. He uses two illustrations to show us how much God cares for those who confess the name of His Son. The first is that of sparrows. Five sparrows were sold for two cents. In Mt 10:29 He states that two sparrows were sold for a cent. If you bought four for two cents, they threw the fifth one in for free! Even though sparrows were of such little value to men, Jesus says that not one of them is forgotten before God. Jesus assures us, “You are of more value than many sparrows.” Then Jesus tells us that God has numbered all the hairs of our head. In my case, God is good at subtraction! Jesus means that the smallest details of our lives are under the tender care of our heavenly Father. Contrary to modern “Christian” psychology, these verses are not teaching that we should esteem ourselves more highly than we do. Rather, we should esteem God more highly because of His fatherly care for us, in spite of our many sins and shortcomings. But, Jesus does want us as God’s children to feel assured in His loving care for us. No one can lay a finger on us apart from the Father’s permission. If wicked men kill us, we have His promise, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones” (Ps 116:15). Knowing that the Father cares for us, we can bear witness even toward those who are hostile to us. To confess Christ, we must count on the faithful promises of the Son. - Jesus promises that if we confess Him on earth, He will confess us in heaven (Lu 12:8). Every Christian should live every day in light of someday standing before the One who gave His life for us. Our great hope should be that we will hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” Then any suffering or rejection we have experienced will be worth it all! To confess Christ, we must rely on the instructive ministry of the Holy Spirit. - Jesus warns His followers that they will be brought before religious and governmental authorities because of their stand for Him. But He says that we should not worry about what we will say at such times, because the Holy Spirit will instruct us at the moment when we need His wisdom. These comments apply to any time that we are under fire for our testimony. If we have been living for Christ and walking in the Spirit, we can rely on the Spirit to give us wisdom to respond in the moment of pressure. Conclusion - Thomas Cranmer (youtube) served faithfully as Archbishop of Canterbury under kings Henry VIII and Edward VI in England. But when Bloody Mary came to the throne, he was condemned to death for treason and heresy. He was forced to watch as Hugh Latimer and Nicolas Ridley were burned at the stake in Oxford. The fear of such a painful death caused Cranmer to recant his Protestant views and to sign a paper that he agreed with the Roman Catholic view of transubstantiation. But even though he recanted, the Catholics planned to burn him anyway. On the eve of his execution, he was brought before the church where he was expected to acknowledge publicly his shift toward Rome. But he shocked his enemies when he suddenly renounced his recantation, declared the Pope to be antichrist, and rejected transubstantiation. Then, with a light heart and a clear conscience, he allowed himself to be hurried to the stake amidst the outcries of his disappointed enemies. As the flames curled around him, he boldly held out his right hand into the fire, the hand that had signed his recantation, and said, “This unworthy right hand,” while he held his left hand up toward heaven as he perished in the flames (J. C. Ryle, Light From Old Times [Evangelical Press], pp. 35-38). Hopefully, none of us will have to face such a tortuous death. But, if we do, the way to be ready to confess Christ under such pressure is to be confessing Him now. What is a little rejection or ridicule, or even physical death, in the light of eternal life with our glorious Lord? May we boldly confess our loving Savior who bore our sins on the cross! Discussion Questions When does keeping certain personal matters private cross the line into hypocrisy? How honest should we be? What is the difference between being diplomatic and being a people-pleaser? How can a naturally timid person overcome his or her fear of people in order to confess Christ publicly? Should a Christian fear committing the unpardonable sin? Is it possible for a believer to apostatize? (Confessing or Denying Christ) ILLUSTRATION - In the summer of 2004, Warren Beamer, a missionary from San Antonio, Texas, visited an orphanage in Nigeria. Beamer was startled when one of the children at the orphanage spoke to him with a southern accent. The girl quickly shared that she was from Houston, Texas. To convince the missionary that this was true, she recited her social security number. Then the girl led Beamer to six other children in the orphanage, whom she described as her brothers and sisters. The children, who ranged from eight to sixteen years-of-age, had been sent to a Nigerian boarding school by their adoptive American mother. When the woman stopped making tuition payments to the school, the children were sent to the orphanage, living in terrible, squalid conditions. Gradually the children gave up hope of ever returning home to the great state of Texas. When the children saw Warren Beamer, they began singing the "Star-Spangled Banner" in an effort to convince him of the truth of their claim that they were Americans. The boldly proclaimed their citizenship and the place of their true home. With the assistance of Beamer's pastor and a U.S. congressman, the children were back in the United States of America within eight days. This story amply illustrates the important truth that Jesus makes with His disciples in this section about confession and being unashamed of your citizenship. (Rod Mattoon - Treasures from Luke) ILLUSTRATION - We should not be ashamed to confess the truth about Jesus Christ. That was the sentiment of the cartoonist, Charles Schultz. The animated story A Charlie Brown Christmas airs on one of the major television networks seasonally. The two producers who worked closely with Charlie Brown creator Charles Schultz remembered their desperate efforts to convince a television network to show the special originally. All the major networks were hesitant. Finally, one agreed, and the great cartoonist got to work. A memorable and moving part of A Charlie Brown Christmas occurs when the cartoon character Linus, strolls to center stage and reads the biblical account of the meaning of Christmas. The two producers working with Schultz cautioned him about putting something like that in the cartoon special, because they were convinced it wouldn't go over well. Charles Schultz faced both of the producers and said, "If not us, then who's going to do it?" Way to go Charles! Even though he is dead, he is still remembered by many today. I am thankful he was willing to speak up for the truth about the birth of Christ in spite of the pressure and opposition he faced. In dealing with the issue of fear, Jesus adds that the person that denies the Lord will be denied by the Lord before the angels of God. He offers both positive and negative motivation for His disciples. There is a price to pay for denying Him and a blessing to enjoy in confessing Christ. (Rod Mattoon - Treasures from Luke) Luke 12:9 but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. BGT Luke 12:9 ὁ δὲ ἀρνησάμενός με ἐνώπιον τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀπαρνηθήσεται ἐνώπιον τῶν ἀγγέλων τοῦ θεοῦ. KJV Luke 12:9 But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God. NET Luke 12:9 But the one who denies me before men will be denied before God's angels. CSB Luke 12:9 but whoever denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. ESV Luke 12:9 but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. NIV Luke 12:9 But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God. NLT Luke 12:9 But anyone who denies me here on earth will be denied before God's angels. NRS Luke 12:9 but whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God. YLT Luke 12:9 and he who hath denied me before men, shall be denied before the messengers of God, GWN Luke 12:9 But God's angels will be told that I don't know those people who tell others that they don't know me. NKJ Luke 12:9 "But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. NAB Luke 12:9 But whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God. MIT Luke 12:9 But he who denies me before human beings will be denied before God's angels. NJB Luke 12:9 But anyone who disowns me in the presence of human beings will be disowned in the presence of God's angels. ASV Luke 12:9 but he that denieth me in the presence of men shall be denied in the presence of the angels of God. but he who denies Me before men Luke 9:26; Mt 10:33; Mark 8:38; Acts 3:13,14; 2 Ti 2:12; Rev 3:8 will be denied before the angels of God Luke 13:26,27; Mt 7:23; 25:12,31,41; 1 Jn 2:23,28 Luke 12 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 12:1-12 Confessing or Denying Christ? - Steven Cole Luke 12:8-9 A Certain Cure for Hypocrisy, Part 2 - John MacArthur Related Passage: Matthew 10:33+ But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.
Lucas 12
Morris - Our attitude to Jesus is all important. If anyone acknowledges Him before people, Jesus will acknowledge him before the angels of God (Matthew has ‘before my Father who is in heaven’). This is warm encouragement for judgment day. But anyone who denies (‘disowns’, NEB) Jesus will face the ultimate denial. He has refused to number himself among Jesus’ followers. When he stands before God his choice will be ratified. Jesus leaves His hearers in no doubt but that eternal issues are involved in their attitude to him. (See context Luke: An Introduction and Commentary) William
Lucas 12
Morris - Jesus is concerned with the duty that rests compellingly on believers even in such a time of danger. He is not telling them how to secure acquittal. He is telling them how they may best serve God in their trying situation. The Spirit will inspire them with such a defence that through it the gospel will be proclaimed and God’s purposes be set forward. (Borrow The Gospel According to St. Luke: An Introduction and Commentary)
Lucas 12
Morris - His brother was clearly in possession and he wanted Jesus to persuade him to disgorge. He does not ask Jesus to decide on the merits of two claims: he asks for a decision in his own favour. He seems to be acting unilaterally for nothing indicates that the brother had agreed to have Jesus try the case. The man is taking Jesus as a typical rabbi, for the rabbis customarily gave decisions on disputed points of law. Jesus, however, refused to have anything to do with it. (Borrow The Gospel According to St. Luke: An Introduction and Commentary)
Lucas 12
Morris - From the sins of greed and selfishness Jesus turns to that of worry, which in a way is connected with the other two. ‘Greed can never get enough, worry is afraid it may not have enough’ (Arndt). Wealth can represent a danger to those who do not have it as well as to those who do. Jesus emphasizes the importance of trust in God and detachment from things. (Borrow The Gospel According to St. Luke: An Introduction and Commentary) Bruce - You can be as unfaithful to God through care as well as through covetousness.
Lucas 12
Morris - Birds do not engage in agricultural activities, but they do not lack for all that. God feeds them. (Borrow The Gospel According to St. Luke: An Introduction and Commentary) J C
Lucas 12
Morris - Solomon’s gorgeous robes could not match. Yet the flowers, now spoken of as grass (which supports the view that no particular plant is in mind), are very temporary. They live today and are burnt tomorrow. The argument is irresistible. If God does all this for the flowers that disappear so quickly, how much more will he clothe his people? O men of little faith shows that some of the disciples had shown anxiety. It is needless. (Borrow The Gospel According to St. Luke: An Introduction and Commentary)
Lucas 12
Morris - Jesus reinforces his teaching on the right use of wealth with the reminder that earthly things are temporary and the coming of the Son of man sure. (Borrow The Gospel According to St. Luke: An Introduction and Commentary) Warren
Lucas 12
Morris - Since the context surrounding this parable is the judgment at the return of Christ (Luke 12:40,49), its purpose is clearly to teach that there will somehow be degrees of punishment in hell. Both servants (the one in Lk 12:47 and the one in Lk 12:48) represent lost sinners, and both are punished, neither saved. The intensity of suffering, however, is inflicted in accordance with degree of sinfulness in relation to degree of light received or truth known. We may not fully understand how this can be, but the righteous "Judge of all the earth" (Genesis 18:25) is well able to "render every man according to his deeds" (Romans 2:6). (Borrow The Defender's Study Bible) Steven
Lucas 12
Morris - This principle applies to the saved in heaven (1 Corinthians 3:11-15+) as well as to the unsaved in hell. At "the judgment seat of Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:10), all born-again believers will see their work examined to see "what sort it is." This passage clearly teaches that, for example, those born in Christian homes, in Christian lands, with abundant access to Bibles, churches, and schools, as well as other privileges, will be evaluated more critically than those believers who served the Lord without such advantages. (Borrow The Defender's Study Bible) The Believer's Study Bible - The disposition of degrees of God's wrath is evidently suggested by this verse. Equally clear is the idea that the degree of punishment received is based upon privilege and opportunity, as well as the stewardship of these. Gradations of punishment offer little comfort for those eternally separated from Christ. However, the passage does serve as another index to the absolute justice of God, even in wrath.