LUKE 12 PRESENTATION OF THE SON OF MAN. Prepare for judgment; avoid hypocrisy… v.1-3. Everything that is secret (sins) will be revealed.; the inward attitude of the Pharisees will be exposed. Do not settle for appearances. v.4-5. Fear can weaken our witness. Fear God who controls eternal consequences.
v.6-9. CONFESSION OF THE SON OF MAN: “Whosoever shall confess Me before men, him shall also the Son of Man confess before the angels of God.” [v.8]. God has the proper evaluation of things and of you. We deny (disown) Christ …
- When we hope no one will know we are Christians.
- When we don’t speak up for what is right.
- When we remain silent about our relationship with God. We acknowledge Christ when…
- We live moral, upright, Christ-honoring lives.
- Look for opportunities to share our faith.
- Help others.
- Take a stand for what is right.
- Love others.
- Acknowledge our loyalty to Christ
- Use our lives for the things the Lord desires. We need to be aware of…
- The persistence of false teaching.
- The presence of God.
- The power of God.
- The provision of God. When a person is awakened from the sleep of sin and made aware of the Person of God revealed in our Lord Jesus Christ, then steps are made to move in repentance and faith to the Savior. Confession of need is made. Confession of sin is made. Confession of faith in Christ as Lord and Savior is made. [Rom.10:8-10]
v.10-12. THE CONDEMNATION OF THE SON OF MAN: “Whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven.” [v.10]. Unforgiven sin: attributing to the devil the work of the Holy Spirit does. Deliberate and ongoing rejection of His work and of God Himself: Such an one shuts themselves off from God completely and are not aware of sin.
- Denies Christ personally: “I will not have this Man to reign over me.”
- Denies Christ publicly: “I do not know Him; I do not want Him; I will not have Him; I do not believe in Him.” There are many ways we can deny Christ. To ignore Him is to deny Him. To delay believing in Him is to deny Him. To refuse to confess Him is to deny Him.
- Denies Christ permanently: angels know when a soul is saved and they will hear from the Son of Man Himself when a soul is lost. v.11-12. The Holy Spirit will enable us to remain true, even when to more capable people we are not impressive. God will bring what we learn to mind when we need them and help us to present truth in an effective way. v.13-21. The oldest brother got a double portion of the inheritance along with the responsibility of caring for the mother. The younger received a single portion [Gen.25:24-34]. The attitude toward money is the problem. The rich man died before he could use what he had stored up. Preparing for life before death is wise but neglecting life after death is foolish. This man assumed…
- Wealth is for hoarding [v.18].
- Wealth is for personal ease and pleasure [v.19].
- Wealth can satisfy the deeper needs [v.20-21]. v.22-23. How can we avoid the pointless effort of worry? God knows what we need. Seek His kingdom. He is Lord. He must control our work, play, plans and relationships. If money is keeping you from following
Christ – let it go. Material goods are for the furtherance of God’s kingdom. Your treasure is where your affections. v.35-40. Christ’s return: the Jews looked for a restored kingdom; Greeks an idealized spiritual kingdom Be ready like one prepared for physical activity: aware, ready, anticipating. Be ready like one who is awake at night. Be ready like a servant for his Master’s return. (1) not hypocritical but sincere (2)not fearful but ready to witness (3) not worried but trusting [25-26] (4) not greedy but generous [34] (5) not lazy but diligent [37].
v.40. COMING OF THE SON OF MAN: “Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of Man cometh at an hour when ye think not.” [v.40].
- The Fact of His Coming: He has promised to come again. The Lord Himself shall come. He shall descend from heaven.
- The Act of His Coming: in such and hour as ye think not; as a thief in the night. There will be no time to get ready then. Whatever we plan to do for God and His kingdom has to be done before. We are to be waiting for Him to come because it will be done quickly.
- The Impact of His Coming: separations will take place. Life as we know it not will be drastically changed. Believers will be instantly changed. We shall be like Christ. A chain of events predicted in prophecy will begin to unfold in rapid succession. All the warnings in relation to the tribulation and coming events will become realities. Ultimately, Christ will be visibly seen and enthroned upon David’s throne in Israel and peace will be established on earth. v.41-48. All people: All Christians [42] in the future will be rewarded. Unfaithful stewards are treated like unbelievers. We are responsible according to the degree of our knowledge. Watchful, faithful leaders are given increased opportunities and responsibilities. v.49-53. Fire on earth: conflict between good and evil; persecution or judgment. v.54-59. They failed to understand the significance of His coming [54-56] and the urgency of choosing what is right [57-59].