WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.900 Here in the Gospel of Luke and walking our way through the life of Christ and His mission. 00:00:05.000 --> 00:00:06.440 ! His mission is to save sinners. 00:00:07.040 --> 00:00:12.759 And we've seen these last couple weeks that because of that mission, sometimes people are always going to be receptive of it. 00:00:13.320 --> 00:00:16.300 Sometimes we'd rather check boxes instead of just surrender to Him. 00:00:16.800 --> 00:00:22.960 And He's kind of dealt with the Pharisees and the lawyers, and this is kind of going to shoot off of that a little bit, 00:00:23.160 --> 00:00:26.620 because He's going to turn to His disciples now and those that are following Him and say, 00:00:26.620 --> 00:00:31.039 listen, this is what it looks like to follow, because the pressure by this point is rising. 00:00:31.700 --> 00:00:36.679 And the question that Jesus wants us to answer and He wanted His disciples, what are you going to do when the pressure comes? 00:00:37.420 --> 00:00:39.880 What's it going to show in your life? 00:00:39.920 --> 00:00:45.480 So we're going to pick up the last couple verses of chapter number 11 and then walk into the first part of chapter number 12. 00:00:45.780 --> 00:00:47.880 The Bible says this in verse 53, 00:00:48.340 --> 00:00:53.620 as He said these things, this dinner that He had with the Pharisees and lawyers, 00:00:53.619 --> 00:00:55.919 and He's kind of let them know how it is, 00:00:56.500 --> 00:01:02.179 the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge Him vehemently and to provoke Him to speak of many things. 00:01:02.640 --> 00:01:10.200 Why? Because they were lying in wait for Him and seeking to catch something out of His mouth that they might accuse Him. 00:01:10.739 --> 00:01:13.500 So they're tired of Him kind of putting them down. 00:01:13.920 --> 00:01:16.759 You know, they were this respectable religious group. 00:01:17.259 --> 00:01:21.340 And Jesus said, listen, you look real good on the outside, but inside you're just full of dead men's bones. 00:01:21.340 --> 00:01:25.840 You're so worried about what you look like on the outside, you're just full of hypocrisy. 00:01:26.439 --> 00:01:29.640 And so Jesus kind of takes this thought that He's kind of been dealing with, 00:01:29.900 --> 00:01:32.480 and He goes and launches into verse number 1 of chapter 12. 00:01:33.020 --> 00:01:37.120 In the meantime, when they were gathered together, an innumerable multitude of people, 00:01:37.680 --> 00:01:42.879 insomuch that they trod upon one another, He began to say unto His disciples, first of all. 00:01:43.780 --> 00:01:45.620 Now, I want to mention this real quick. 00:01:46.219 --> 00:01:48.439 Disciples, sometimes we just think the 12 disciples. 00:01:48.439 --> 00:01:51.239 There's going to be many people following Him. 00:01:51.399 --> 00:01:53.480 Some would have believed that He was the Messiah. 00:01:53.739 --> 00:01:56.459 There was others that were still trying to figure out exactly who He was. 00:01:56.579 --> 00:01:58.500 They were interested in His teachings. 00:01:58.679 --> 00:01:59.900 They were thankful for His miracles. 00:02:00.280 --> 00:02:03.079 But they were kind of thinking, well, I'll just kind of ride the fence here. 00:02:03.439 --> 00:02:06.939 So Jesus is teaching them, all of those that are gathered, He says, 00:02:06.939 --> 00:02:12.060 Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 00:02:12.719 --> 00:02:16.620 For there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, neither hid that shall not be known. 00:02:17.180 --> 00:02:21.599 Therefore, whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light, 00:02:22.039 --> 00:02:28.159 and that which ye have spoken in your closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. 00:02:28.159 --> 00:02:33.180 And I say unto you, my friends, be not afraid of them that kill the body. 00:02:33.560 --> 00:02:35.620 After that, they have no more they can do. 00:02:36.280 --> 00:02:38.539 But I will forewarn you whom you shall fear. 00:02:39.099 --> 00:02:43.240 Fear him which, after he hath killed, hath the power to cast into hell. 00:02:43.400 --> 00:02:45.419 Yea, I say unto you, fear him. 00:02:46.120 --> 00:02:51.319 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? 00:02:51.879 --> 00:02:54.479 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 00:02:54.479 --> 00:02:58.879 Fear not, therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. 00:02:59.619 --> 00:03:02.719 Also I say unto you, whosoever shall confess me before men, 00:03:03.219 --> 00:03:06.719 him shall the Son of Man also confess before the angels of God. 00:03:07.280 --> 00:03:10.939 But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God. 00:03:11.479 --> 00:03:14.799 And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him. 00:03:15.519 --> 00:03:20.060 But unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven. 00:03:20.699 --> 00:03:24.359 And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and to the magistrates, and powers, 00:03:24.819 --> 00:03:29.079 take ye no thought how, or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say. 00:03:29.459 --> 00:03:34.679 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say. 00:03:35.379 --> 00:03:37.120 So the tension's rising. 00:03:37.579 --> 00:03:38.560 The pressure's rising. 00:03:39.199 --> 00:03:40.340 What's going to happen now? 00:03:40.780 --> 00:03:42.399 Jesus is saying, listen, the ball's in your court. 00:03:42.639 --> 00:03:48.060 You're either all in on serving Christ, or you're going to kind of just kind of try to blend in. 00:03:48.599 --> 00:03:53.219 And Jesus is kind of calling us through this text to examine our own life. 00:03:53.860 --> 00:03:56.360 And when pressure rises, it exposes some things about us. 00:03:56.379 --> 00:03:57.159 And we're going to look at that this morning. 00:03:57.199 --> 00:03:58.159 I think it'll be a help to us. 00:03:58.460 --> 00:03:59.460 But let's ask the Lord to bless it. 00:03:59.520 --> 00:04:01.420 Father, thank you for this time that we've gathered. 00:04:01.520 --> 00:04:02.800 Thank you for the songs that have been sung. 00:04:02.900 --> 00:04:05.920 Thank you for the reminder that our life is to bring you glory, Lord. 00:04:05.919 --> 00:04:10.359 I pray that we would take these truths and take them home with us. 00:04:10.459 --> 00:04:14.519 And especially as we open up your word here, Lord, that you would just meet us where we are, Lord. 00:04:14.599 --> 00:04:17.000 There's probably many things we've brought into your house today. 00:04:17.500 --> 00:04:20.899 But Lord, help us to focus on you and what you have for us today. 00:04:21.300 --> 00:04:24.019 Lord, I pray there's somebody here that doesn't know you as their Savior, Lord. 00:04:24.459 --> 00:04:25.959 Would that be the day of salvation? 00:04:26.120 --> 00:04:27.159 Lord, I pray you'd be with me now. 00:04:27.240 --> 00:04:29.560 You would just clear my thoughts and my mind. 00:04:29.980 --> 00:04:30.959 That it'd be a help to your people. 00:04:31.000 --> 00:04:32.199 And we ask it in Christ's name. 00:04:32.699 --> 00:04:33.019 Amen. 00:04:33.019 --> 00:04:33.959 Thank you so much for standing. 00:04:34.039 --> 00:04:34.439 May be seated. 00:04:35.920 --> 00:04:39.600 I'm not going to ask for a raise of hands because I don't want to embarrass anybody. 00:04:39.819 --> 00:04:41.620 But did you brush your teeth this morning? 00:04:43.420 --> 00:04:44.580 I'm so proud, man. 00:04:45.280 --> 00:04:46.300 Parenting win right there. 00:04:46.759 --> 00:04:47.699 We brushed our teeth. 00:04:48.800 --> 00:04:51.020 You know, it's an important thing to brush our teeth. 00:04:51.400 --> 00:04:53.280 And this is going to be a very deep question. 00:04:53.680 --> 00:04:56.900 What comes out when you squeeze the toothpaste container? 00:04:58.280 --> 00:04:58.639 Toothpaste. 00:04:58.720 --> 00:05:00.259 Man, we are nailing it today. 00:05:00.580 --> 00:05:02.000 We're on fire to start out. 00:05:02.000 --> 00:05:04.280 Listen, it doesn't matter who squeezes it. 00:05:04.279 --> 00:05:06.899 It doesn't matter how hard you squeeze it. 00:05:07.079 --> 00:05:09.419 It doesn't matter what kind of day you're having or if you slept good that night. 00:05:09.699 --> 00:05:12.699 When you squeeze it, toothpaste comes out. 00:05:13.359 --> 00:05:13.679 Why? 00:05:14.379 --> 00:05:16.059 It's a toothpaste container. 00:05:16.879 --> 00:05:21.959 Now, some of you probably this morning, this is your reminder to go to Walmart after church and buy toothpaste. 00:05:22.179 --> 00:05:26.179 Because you've been trying to squeeze toothpaste out of a container that has been empty for weeks. 00:05:26.279 --> 00:05:29.759 You're like, you know, you're like, nobody ever does that? 00:05:29.759 --> 00:05:30.199 Okay. 00:05:30.399 --> 00:05:30.680 Okay. 00:05:30.980 --> 00:05:33.719 I mean, like, man, you never remember until the very next morning. 00:05:33.959 --> 00:05:34.959 So here's your friendly reminder. 00:05:35.060 --> 00:05:37.000 Go to Walmart and get some toothpaste. 00:05:38.159 --> 00:05:41.039 See, the pressure does not create the toothpaste. 00:05:42.019 --> 00:05:46.519 It just reveals what was already inside of the container. 00:05:47.319 --> 00:05:49.639 That's a simple logic that we can follow. 00:05:49.639 --> 00:05:56.740 But here's the idea as we kind of come into chapter number 12 here in our study in Luke's gospel, that the same is true spiritually. 00:05:57.919 --> 00:06:01.719 Because maybe this week, life squeezed you just a little bit. 00:06:02.360 --> 00:06:06.759 Maybe you're looking at your schedule this upcoming week and you're thinking, man, I can just kind of feel the pressure. 00:06:07.159 --> 00:06:08.479 I can feel all the things. 00:06:08.579 --> 00:06:09.620 Maybe there's something at school. 00:06:09.719 --> 00:06:10.959 Maybe there's something at work. 00:06:11.060 --> 00:06:14.039 Maybe there's just something going on in your life and in relationships. 00:06:14.040 --> 00:06:22.340 And the question we need to ask ourselves is, when life squeezes us, when the pressure is applied, what comes out? 00:06:23.120 --> 00:06:24.500 I mean, is it fear? 00:06:25.280 --> 00:06:26.260 Is it silence? 00:06:27.120 --> 00:06:27.879 Is it anger? 00:06:28.080 --> 00:06:28.820 Is it compromise? 00:06:29.120 --> 00:06:29.960 Is it boldness? 00:06:30.160 --> 00:06:30.980 Is it faith? 00:06:31.660 --> 00:06:37.100 Because there are certain things that Jesus says, listen, when life presses you, I want these things to come out. 00:06:37.600 --> 00:06:42.040 But he's addressing a group of people, much like us today, that there was a little bit of everything in the crowd. 00:06:42.040 --> 00:06:50.439 And these disciples that he's looking at, these are ones that are at least interested and are at least following and saying, hey, we're for you, Jesus. 00:06:50.580 --> 00:06:52.439 We're not like these Pharisees. 00:06:52.520 --> 00:06:53.460 We're not like these lawyers. 00:06:53.680 --> 00:06:55.140 We want to follow you. 00:06:56.460 --> 00:06:58.780 And he said, listen, I know you want to follow me. 00:06:59.400 --> 00:07:01.820 But I just want to remind you, following me is not easy. 00:07:02.720 --> 00:07:04.060 That pressure is going to come. 00:07:04.400 --> 00:07:06.800 And pressure doesn't create character. 00:07:07.000 --> 00:07:08.100 It reveals it. 00:07:08.800 --> 00:07:10.800 Pressure doesn't create allegiance. 00:07:10.800 --> 00:07:14.460 It just exposes where your loyalties lie. 00:07:15.100 --> 00:07:16.379 That's kind of what Jesus is showing. 00:07:16.579 --> 00:07:24.340 Because as we have seen over the past couple weeks, the Pharisees and the lawyers, they thought they were on God's side, but they're not really on God's side. 00:07:25.080 --> 00:07:27.660 In fact, they were living for themselves. 00:07:29.139 --> 00:07:35.620 And what we're about to see here is this pressure kind of has a way of revealing what's really on the inside. 00:07:36.319 --> 00:07:37.439 Now, Jesus sees it. 00:07:37.439 --> 00:07:43.620 Jesus saw right through their religious facade, these religious leaders. 00:07:43.759 --> 00:07:48.519 And he said, listen, you're so worried about cleaning the outside of the cup, and you forgot to clean the inside. 00:07:49.120 --> 00:07:54.519 And he begins to give them all these woes and all of these things to kind of not to be mean to them. 00:07:54.659 --> 00:07:56.399 No, to show them the truth. 00:07:56.399 --> 00:08:02.679 But opposition, it really does this, and we saw this in these past few weeks. 00:08:03.019 --> 00:08:04.620 It exposes our priorities. 00:08:05.899 --> 00:08:11.099 Conflict, many times, is going to uncover why we're doing what we're doing. 00:08:11.579 --> 00:08:17.159 It shows us the motives, the danger that sometimes life brings because they're in a dangerous situation. 00:08:17.160 --> 00:08:23.340 The persecution and the things that are going to be coming down the line for some of these disciples wasn't theoretical. 00:08:24.060 --> 00:08:28.800 No, it was going to be the real deal, and it's going to really reveal where their allegiance lies. 00:08:29.940 --> 00:08:33.220 And just to kind of recap quickly, so we kind of are on the same page. 00:08:33.580 --> 00:08:38.040 There in verse 37 down through the end of the chapter in chapter number 11, 00:08:38.039 --> 00:08:41.099 that Jesus was invited to a dinner. 00:08:42.079 --> 00:08:46.099 Now, there was underlying motives there because these men, these Pharisees, 00:08:46.179 --> 00:08:50.539 were trying to catch Jesus doing something that they didn't agree with. 00:08:51.139 --> 00:08:53.279 And lo and behold, they found something. 00:08:53.719 --> 00:08:55.539 Jesus didn't wash his hands for dinner. 00:08:56.139 --> 00:08:58.819 And we look at that and say, well, maybe he's just forgetful. 00:08:59.079 --> 00:09:02.639 No, Jesus was exposing some things they were really dealing with. 00:09:02.639 --> 00:09:08.799 Because they were so worried about the law and checking all the boxes and making sure they're doing everything right 00:09:08.799 --> 00:09:10.720 that they missed the whole point of the law. 00:09:11.319 --> 00:09:14.019 The law was to point people to God. 00:09:14.580 --> 00:09:19.299 And in fact, they were taking the very law that was doing that and they were turning people away from God. 00:09:19.799 --> 00:09:24.100 And Jesus wasn't having any of it, so he sits there at this dinner. 00:09:24.600 --> 00:09:27.580 And from what we can probably tell, not much food was eaten. 00:09:28.419 --> 00:09:30.299 You ever been in a situation that was real tense? 00:09:30.299 --> 00:09:33.099 And you just kind of like, you don't want to do anything? 00:09:33.259 --> 00:09:34.319 That's kind of what's going on here. 00:09:34.639 --> 00:09:36.639 I bet the only thing they probably wanted was some Tums. 00:09:36.919 --> 00:09:38.799 Because their stomachs are just churning. 00:09:39.519 --> 00:09:40.759 I mean, because they're getting called on the carpet. 00:09:41.519 --> 00:09:42.859 Jesus isn't playing around. 00:09:43.159 --> 00:09:48.959 Because what they were doing is they were hindering the Word of God from actually changing people's lives. 00:09:50.079 --> 00:09:54.899 And when we come down to the end of the chapter, we read those two verses already. 00:09:55.019 --> 00:09:56.179 Verse 53 and verse 54. 00:09:56.559 --> 00:09:58.919 To say they were upset was an understatement. 00:09:58.919 --> 00:10:02.779 The religious establishment was enraged. 00:10:03.459 --> 00:10:05.599 They were looking for ways to provoke Jesus. 00:10:05.919 --> 00:10:08.000 They were trying to trap Him in His own words. 00:10:08.259 --> 00:10:13.740 They were lying wait, listening carefully, hoping for something they could use against Him. 00:10:13.979 --> 00:10:15.399 Anything they could use against Him. 00:10:16.179 --> 00:10:16.839 And don't misunderstand. 00:10:17.059 --> 00:10:19.259 This wasn't some theological disagreement. 00:10:19.699 --> 00:10:21.759 No, this is organized hostility. 00:10:21.759 --> 00:10:27.659 And when you study each of the Gospels, you're going to find that there's this moment, right about this time in Jesus' ministry, 00:10:27.899 --> 00:10:32.080 that they determined they are going to hunt Jesus like a wild animal. 00:10:33.080 --> 00:10:34.519 And they make no bones about it. 00:10:34.759 --> 00:10:36.279 The world may not know it. 00:10:36.480 --> 00:10:37.299 Israel may not know it. 00:10:37.439 --> 00:10:39.299 But within their confines, they want this. 00:10:39.519 --> 00:10:40.879 Kill this man. 00:10:41.620 --> 00:10:44.519 He is interfering with all of our business. 00:10:44.519 --> 00:10:47.559 They had had enough of this rogue rabbi. 00:10:48.019 --> 00:10:51.840 Who, in their estimation, cared nothing about the things of God. 00:10:52.579 --> 00:10:57.039 And as we kind of come into chapter 12, there's one crowd that is totally against Him. 00:10:57.259 --> 00:11:02.159 But now there's another crowd that is so enthralled and at least interested in Him, 00:11:02.379 --> 00:11:03.740 they're trampling one another. 00:11:04.679 --> 00:11:07.659 I mean, Jesus' notoriety is growing at this time. 00:11:07.659 --> 00:11:11.799 And that's one thing, too, that just kind of incensed the Pharisees. 00:11:12.299 --> 00:11:13.679 You know what they loved? 00:11:13.819 --> 00:11:14.779 The praise of man. 00:11:15.679 --> 00:11:18.240 And they loved when they walked down the streets and everybody said, 00:11:18.480 --> 00:11:19.779 Oh, look, it's so-and-so. 00:11:19.839 --> 00:11:21.000 He's a great Pharisee. 00:11:21.219 --> 00:11:22.139 Well, yes, I am. 00:11:22.519 --> 00:11:23.379 That's kind of how they did. 00:11:23.879 --> 00:11:27.639 They loved long greetings in the marketplace is what Jesus told us. 00:11:28.519 --> 00:11:30.679 So they lived for this. 00:11:31.079 --> 00:11:35.799 And yet Jesus has not only taken away all of their laws that they love so dearly, 00:11:35.799 --> 00:11:40.159 He's also taking away the people that they were controlling because of those laws. 00:11:41.039 --> 00:11:46.179 So I want us to picture there in verse number one that on one side the religious leaders are hunting Him, 00:11:46.399 --> 00:11:48.839 and on the other side the crowds are kind of just crushing Him. 00:11:50.319 --> 00:11:55.019 And the combination of this, of this terrifying pursuit and these growing crowds, 00:11:55.019 --> 00:11:58.759 it really kind of made Jesus just dangerous to associate with. 00:11:59.459 --> 00:12:01.959 I mean, whose side are you going to fall on? 00:12:02.019 --> 00:12:03.139 What's going to take place? 00:12:03.139 --> 00:12:07.759 And as we jump into the text, we're going to see that this mounting pressure had the effect 00:12:07.759 --> 00:12:11.980 on some of these so-called disciples and some of these interested followers 00:12:11.980 --> 00:12:17.279 to be a little bit less open about their relationship with Jesus. 00:12:18.179 --> 00:12:21.139 Because maybe before they say, Oh, I love Jesus. 00:12:21.240 --> 00:12:21.860 Man, Jesus is an atheist. 00:12:22.039 --> 00:12:23.039 He's a great guy. 00:12:23.699 --> 00:12:24.960 But now they've got these Pharisees. 00:12:25.019 --> 00:12:26.860 Every move that Jesus makes, they're over there. 00:12:27.279 --> 00:12:28.379 They're waiting for it. 00:12:28.580 --> 00:12:30.279 They can feel the tension. 00:12:30.279 --> 00:12:34.819 And what we see here in chapter 12, what we're going to kind of see over the next few weeks, 00:12:35.539 --> 00:12:37.360 is some hid their allegiance. 00:12:38.480 --> 00:12:39.379 They loved Jesus. 00:12:40.159 --> 00:12:42.879 They just didn't want everybody to know how much they really loved Him. 00:12:43.459 --> 00:12:44.839 Some of them grew cautious. 00:12:45.399 --> 00:12:46.860 Some went quiet. 00:12:47.159 --> 00:12:50.439 Some came to the place and said, Well, we're not really, we don't even know Him really. 00:12:50.539 --> 00:12:53.059 I mean, we were just kind of following from a distance. 00:12:53.059 --> 00:13:01.019 And when following Jesus becomes costly, sometimes staying silent seems like the safe and smart thing to do. 00:13:01.699 --> 00:13:04.459 But that is not what Jesus calls us to do. 00:13:04.699 --> 00:13:06.059 That is not how Jesus is. 00:13:06.239 --> 00:13:10.979 No, He wants us to follow Him, not cave to the pressure. 00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:14.099 And let me just remind you, it's not a first century problem. 00:13:15.099 --> 00:13:16.239 You know where you're going to face pressure? 00:13:16.699 --> 00:13:17.139 School. 00:13:18.000 --> 00:13:19.500 You know where you're going to face pressure following Jesus? 00:13:19.899 --> 00:13:20.299 Work. 00:13:20.299 --> 00:13:26.799 I mean, you name it, you're going to face pressure because we live in a world that's not excited that we're following Jesus. 00:13:27.299 --> 00:13:30.519 That's not excited about trying to live by the Word of God. 00:13:31.799 --> 00:13:37.439 So amidst all of this, kind of this background we've tried to paint a picture of, 00:13:38.939 --> 00:13:40.519 Jesus turns to His disciples. 00:13:41.299 --> 00:13:43.000 And He begins to teach them. 00:13:43.759 --> 00:13:45.299 He's not really addressing the masses. 00:13:45.599 --> 00:13:48.219 He's not really rebuking the Pharisees in so much. 00:13:48.220 --> 00:13:52.100 He says, listen, I want you to be settled where you stand. 00:13:52.639 --> 00:13:57.720 I need you to be firm in your allegiance because He is calling us to that. 00:13:58.220 --> 00:14:02.940 So here in our text today, Jesus shows us four things that pressure does in our life. 00:14:03.480 --> 00:14:09.600 The first thing that we see in the first few verses is that pressure, it exposes the heart. 00:14:10.220 --> 00:14:11.740 It exposes the heart. 00:14:11.740 --> 00:14:18.980 Jesus says this, beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 00:14:19.919 --> 00:14:23.180 See, the main problem with the Pharisees is they were hypocrites. 00:14:25.240 --> 00:14:27.279 That's all that they really were. 00:14:27.580 --> 00:14:32.620 And if we're being honest, it's still the main problem with a lot of professing Christians today. 00:14:32.620 --> 00:14:35.340 I thought that would go over as well as it did. 00:14:35.500 --> 00:14:36.580 It went real well. 00:14:38.399 --> 00:14:43.240 As human beings, we struggle with this in lots of areas of our life. 00:14:43.840 --> 00:14:45.820 Because here's what a hypocrite is. 00:14:45.840 --> 00:14:46.720 What is hypocrisy? 00:14:47.000 --> 00:14:49.399 It's saying one thing and doing another thing. 00:14:50.080 --> 00:14:52.060 It's living a double life. 00:14:52.200 --> 00:14:54.639 It is a moral inconsistency. 00:14:54.899 --> 00:14:55.519 Here's what it is. 00:14:55.759 --> 00:15:00.220 Praising God with your lips while your heart is far from Him. 00:15:00.899 --> 00:15:02.639 These are the things that Jesus brought up to them. 00:15:03.440 --> 00:15:05.720 And hypocrisy, we could kind of boil it down to this. 00:15:06.000 --> 00:15:10.820 It's managing the outside while hiding the inside. 00:15:11.639 --> 00:15:13.800 We like to keep up appearances, we would say. 00:15:14.320 --> 00:15:16.540 We know how to look the part. 00:15:16.879 --> 00:15:18.480 We know the things to say in church. 00:15:18.580 --> 00:15:20.300 We know when to stand up and when to sit down. 00:15:20.420 --> 00:15:21.660 We know most of the songs. 00:15:21.759 --> 00:15:22.379 We know all the things. 00:15:22.560 --> 00:15:24.620 That's not what God has called us to do. 00:15:25.139 --> 00:15:26.399 He's called us to follow Him. 00:15:26.399 --> 00:15:31.259 And as we've seen, the Pharisees are professional hypocrites. 00:15:31.879 --> 00:15:32.899 I mean, that's what they are doing. 00:15:33.000 --> 00:15:35.860 They are wearing religion like a costume. 00:15:36.819 --> 00:15:38.659 Because that's where the word originated from. 00:15:38.740 --> 00:15:40.019 From the stage. 00:15:40.079 --> 00:15:40.679 From the theater. 00:15:41.100 --> 00:15:42.819 A hypocrite was somebody that played another part. 00:15:43.259 --> 00:15:45.519 When they came onto the stage, that's not who they were. 00:15:45.620 --> 00:15:47.139 That's just the part they were playing. 00:15:47.699 --> 00:15:50.480 And Jesus said, listen, that's what the Pharisees are doing. 00:15:50.480 --> 00:15:55.240 They love, they act like they love the word of God, but they're just playing a part. 00:15:56.460 --> 00:16:02.659 But the issue here that Jesus is bringing to light is sometimes those that were following Christ, 00:16:03.159 --> 00:16:10.080 and they were interested in His teaching, they were tempted to downplay their level of commitment to Him. 00:16:11.000 --> 00:16:12.000 Here's the deal. 00:16:12.279 --> 00:16:16.279 It's a different form of hypocrisy, but it's the same heart problem. 00:16:16.980 --> 00:16:18.960 They were worried about what is going on around us. 00:16:18.960 --> 00:16:22.160 And Jesus says, listen, you can't have that in your life. 00:16:22.720 --> 00:16:25.360 Because that kind of hypocrisy, it spreads. 00:16:25.980 --> 00:16:27.060 It's like leaven. 00:16:27.680 --> 00:16:30.920 It's going to leaven the entire lump. 00:16:31.920 --> 00:16:33.820 I'm thankful for yeast in bread. 00:16:34.200 --> 00:16:38.019 When I eat bread, I want it to be big and fluffy and just full of butter. 00:16:38.720 --> 00:16:40.540 I don't want this flat bread. 00:16:41.400 --> 00:16:42.840 This is real life stuff, man. 00:16:44.040 --> 00:16:45.980 Y'all like bread that actually looks like bread, right? 00:16:46.519 --> 00:16:47.280 It looks like a roll. 00:16:47.280 --> 00:16:48.720 Yeah, I mean, that's how they're supposed to look. 00:16:48.960 --> 00:16:49.740 How does it get that way? 00:16:49.940 --> 00:16:51.920 The yeast causes the bread to rise. 00:16:52.600 --> 00:16:55.139 When you put the ingredients in there, it looks like there's nothing in there. 00:16:55.379 --> 00:16:59.420 But when you turn the light on in the oven, you're standing there like, man, them rolls are looking good right now. 00:16:59.660 --> 00:17:00.800 They start rising up, rising up. 00:17:00.820 --> 00:17:01.860 Man, that's what I'm talking about. 00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:05.259 Jesus, He's painting a picture that we understand. 00:17:05.600 --> 00:17:07.279 It works the same way in our life. 00:17:07.900 --> 00:17:09.220 That's why He says, beware. 00:17:09.519 --> 00:17:11.380 He's saying, be on guard. 00:17:11.380 --> 00:17:11.660 Why? 00:17:11.840 --> 00:17:16.960 Because hypocrisy, we can see it sometimes in other people's lives, but in our life, we don't see it as well. 00:17:17.760 --> 00:17:19.180 We think, well, it's not that big a deal. 00:17:19.320 --> 00:17:20.540 It's just one little thing. 00:17:20.660 --> 00:17:23.300 But He's reminding us it doesn't stay contained. 00:17:24.120 --> 00:17:24.580 No, no. 00:17:24.579 --> 00:17:26.740 But hypocrisy in our own life, it grows. 00:17:27.119 --> 00:17:30.699 It spreads to our attitudes and to our speech and into our habits. 00:17:31.000 --> 00:17:32.939 And it just changes everything about us. 00:17:33.419 --> 00:17:36.759 And we might do a really good job for a long, long time hiding it. 00:17:37.240 --> 00:17:39.139 And people might not have any idea. 00:17:39.419 --> 00:17:43.879 But Jesus reminds us in verse number two, listen, everything that's hidden will be revealed one day. 00:17:44.819 --> 00:17:46.319 We don't like verses like this. 00:17:46.779 --> 00:17:50.740 These last three Sundays, I'll just be honest, these are tough passages to preach. 00:17:51.359 --> 00:17:53.179 Like, preacher, you're going to preach something exciting? 00:17:53.539 --> 00:17:54.899 Yeah, Sunday night we're preaching about hope. 00:17:55.019 --> 00:17:55.879 Come on, Sunday nights. 00:17:56.980 --> 00:17:58.960 But right now we're in a tough part of Luke. 00:18:00.159 --> 00:18:04.079 But He's just reminding us that we can hide it from everybody. 00:18:04.480 --> 00:18:06.119 And you might be able to hide it your whole life. 00:18:06.659 --> 00:18:09.779 But there is coming a day where everything that's hidden will be revealed. 00:18:10.539 --> 00:18:12.139 And Jesus reminds us of that. 00:18:12.460 --> 00:18:13.879 Hypocrisy doesn't just spread. 00:18:14.220 --> 00:18:16.079 It will be exposed. 00:18:17.099 --> 00:18:18.720 And He reminds those that are following. 00:18:19.399 --> 00:18:20.879 Listen, you say you're all in. 00:18:21.519 --> 00:18:22.720 You need to make sure you're all in. 00:18:23.399 --> 00:18:26.460 You need to make sure that you're not just trying to put a facade on. 00:18:26.700 --> 00:18:32.460 And I want to remind us, both then and now, Jesus isn't trying to terrify us. 00:18:33.220 --> 00:18:34.439 No, here's what He's trying to do. 00:18:34.559 --> 00:18:35.960 He's trying to rescue us. 00:18:37.039 --> 00:18:38.639 Because I'm sure you've found this out in your life. 00:18:38.639 --> 00:18:40.439 Not that we've all been hypocrites, but we have. 00:18:41.639 --> 00:18:42.220 It's hard. 00:18:42.220 --> 00:18:46.339 It's a miserable way to live your life. 00:18:47.259 --> 00:18:48.639 Trying to always play the part. 00:18:49.159 --> 00:18:51.519 Trying to remember what you can do and what you can't do. 00:18:51.619 --> 00:18:52.740 And trying to keep it up. 00:18:52.939 --> 00:18:53.740 And we can picture it. 00:18:53.899 --> 00:18:55.539 We think, what does it look like in our life? 00:18:57.240 --> 00:19:01.500 See, on one side, the life that we, maybe we're going to, we will stand before the Lord one day. 00:19:02.220 --> 00:19:03.160 The Bible's very clear. 00:19:04.940 --> 00:19:07.259 It's pointed unto man once to die, and after this, the judgment. 00:19:07.759 --> 00:19:09.039 That we will stand before the Lord. 00:19:09.079 --> 00:19:11.839 There's a different judgment for those that are lost and those that know the Lord. 00:19:11.880 --> 00:19:13.319 But we will stand before the Lord. 00:19:13.480 --> 00:19:16.140 If we know Him as our Savior, we're going to give an account for what we did. 00:19:17.200 --> 00:19:18.339 And we're going to stand before Him. 00:19:18.359 --> 00:19:21.079 And on one side, there's going to be the life that we showed everybody. 00:19:21.859 --> 00:19:24.519 And maybe on the other side, there's going to be the life that we tried to hide. 00:19:24.519 --> 00:19:30.460 If those two match up, if both things are the same, you know what that is? 00:19:30.480 --> 00:19:31.079 That's integrity. 00:19:31.799 --> 00:19:32.859 That's being true to God. 00:19:32.940 --> 00:19:33.859 That's being true to others. 00:19:34.059 --> 00:19:35.480 That's just being who you are. 00:19:35.700 --> 00:19:37.119 God never called us to be perfect. 00:19:37.879 --> 00:19:40.259 We don't have to come to church and act like we all got it together. 00:19:41.519 --> 00:19:42.940 Because I know you and you know me. 00:19:43.700 --> 00:19:44.440 We don't. 00:19:45.599 --> 00:19:46.819 Sometimes we try to act like we do. 00:19:47.619 --> 00:19:48.180 Oh, how are you? 00:19:48.400 --> 00:19:49.460 Blessed and highly favored. 00:19:49.539 --> 00:19:50.119 No, you're not. 00:19:51.160 --> 00:19:51.839 You're struggling. 00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:52.700 Life's hard. 00:19:53.019 --> 00:19:53.639 Raising kids. 00:19:53.720 --> 00:19:54.200 Going to work. 00:19:54.200 --> 00:19:56.279 Listen, it's hard sometimes. 00:19:56.960 --> 00:19:58.779 We all messed up this week. 00:19:59.080 --> 00:20:01.680 We don't have to roll up here on Sunday and act like we got it all together. 00:20:02.000 --> 00:20:02.240 No, no. 00:20:02.380 --> 00:20:03.180 The church is a place. 00:20:03.240 --> 00:20:04.940 It's a hospital for those that need help. 00:20:05.559 --> 00:20:07.660 And God reminds us that we're not in it alone. 00:20:07.960 --> 00:20:11.080 But we don't have to hide it because we start playing the part. 00:20:11.200 --> 00:20:11.519 Guess what? 00:20:11.840 --> 00:20:13.559 That's not real life. 00:20:14.460 --> 00:20:15.720 You know what this world needs? 00:20:15.759 --> 00:20:16.519 You know what your friends need? 00:20:16.539 --> 00:20:17.539 You know what your coworkers need? 00:20:17.660 --> 00:20:19.840 A real, authentic Christian. 00:20:20.900 --> 00:20:21.819 That has ups. 00:20:21.880 --> 00:20:22.580 That has downs. 00:20:22.579 --> 00:20:24.259 That's not trying to be perfect. 00:20:24.460 --> 00:20:28.079 They're just trying to follow the Lord and allow Him to change their life. 00:20:29.619 --> 00:20:34.099 Jesus tells them there in verse 3, whatever's whispered in secret, it's going to be shattered from the housetops. 00:20:34.099 --> 00:20:39.659 Jesus isn't trying to paralyze us. 00:20:40.279 --> 00:20:41.559 Here's what He's trying to do. 00:20:42.319 --> 00:20:43.219 Purify us. 00:20:44.139 --> 00:20:52.019 He's trying to get that stuff that gets in our hearts, that leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy, that we think, man, they struggle with it. 00:20:52.019 --> 00:20:53.960 But here Jesus is saying, check the mirror. 00:20:54.960 --> 00:21:02.700 Because pressure is going to expose that maybe you're not being forthright with really who you are and why you're following and how you're following. 00:21:02.700 --> 00:21:11.039 So the question we have to answer when the pressure comes in our life, especially when it comes to our walk with the Lord, is not, am I religious? 00:21:11.960 --> 00:21:15.000 The question we should ask ourselves often is, am I real? 00:21:16.460 --> 00:21:18.539 Am I the real person? 00:21:19.559 --> 00:21:21.680 Am I living how God wants me to be? 00:21:21.680 --> 00:21:51.660 Am I living how God wants me to be? 00:21:51.680 --> 00:21:52.560 Am I living how God wants me to be? 00:21:53.220 --> 00:21:54.380 So what does it look like? 00:21:56.120 --> 00:21:58.900 You know, I think sometimes you can post all these things. 00:21:58.960 --> 00:22:06.340 You can post a bunch of Bible verses on your social media feed, but refuse to forgive somebody that you're having a problem with in your life. 00:22:07.460 --> 00:22:13.940 We can put a whole facade out in our bio about this is who we are and we love Jesus Christ, but does our life show it? 00:22:15.060 --> 00:22:18.320 Listen, I hope you all listen to yourself when you're singing here. 00:22:18.319 --> 00:22:21.619 I love when Brother Jared goes, acapella. 00:22:24.119 --> 00:22:25.899 Listen, y'all sound good. 00:22:26.779 --> 00:22:32.419 I hope that this is your story and this is your song, praising my Savior all the day long. 00:22:32.919 --> 00:22:38.319 Like I love when we drop out on the music so we can just hear, hey listen, the church is a beautiful thing when we sing together, 00:22:38.579 --> 00:22:43.099 but God didn't call us to sing passionately on Sunday and then just go live however we want on Sunday. 00:22:43.099 --> 00:22:46.779 No, take that story, take that song and take it with you to work. 00:22:47.299 --> 00:22:48.379 Take it with you to school. 00:22:48.699 --> 00:22:50.059 You say, well, I don't want to do that. 00:22:50.299 --> 00:22:51.099 Jesus said, beware. 00:22:51.939 --> 00:22:52.699 It's hypocrisy. 00:22:53.399 --> 00:22:54.319 It's going to get in there. 00:22:54.379 --> 00:22:55.719 It's going to grow just a little bit. 00:22:56.899 --> 00:23:03.059 It's real easy to watch the news and critique the culture and critique the sins while excusing our own personal issues. 00:23:04.079 --> 00:23:05.740 Like I can't believe they would do that. 00:23:05.779 --> 00:23:06.819 What's wrong with our world? 00:23:07.099 --> 00:23:09.919 Listen, our world's got a lot of problems, but God is interested in you. 00:23:09.920 --> 00:23:16.580 He's interested in you because when he has you, then he has your family and he has this church and we're only as strong as our weakest link. 00:23:16.779 --> 00:23:18.180 God wants to grow us all together. 00:23:18.860 --> 00:23:21.320 That we can't just berate everything going wrong in society. 00:23:21.580 --> 00:23:22.860 Listen, take a look at our own life. 00:23:23.480 --> 00:23:25.160 It's what Jesus is reminding us here. 00:23:25.539 --> 00:23:27.500 Listen, pressure doesn't create hypocrisy. 00:23:27.720 --> 00:23:28.880 It just reveals it. 00:23:29.779 --> 00:23:36.580 And Jesus reminds us that before we start examining somebody else's speck in their eye, check out the beam in our eye. 00:23:37.360 --> 00:23:39.480 That's what he tells us in the Sermon on the Mount. 00:23:40.400 --> 00:23:46.460 Really, what he's calling these disciples, these followers, these ones that are trying to live that life. 00:23:46.640 --> 00:23:50.460 He said, I want to make sure that you're checking your own heart. 00:23:52.320 --> 00:23:54.080 See, well, why does hypocrisy grow? 00:23:55.620 --> 00:23:56.620 Because it has a root. 00:23:57.759 --> 00:24:02.140 See, sometimes we try to cut off the branch instead of actually going to the root of the problem. 00:24:02.700 --> 00:24:06.120 See, hypocrisy is not the disease, it's the symptom. 00:24:07.140 --> 00:24:08.980 Here's the root where hypocrisy grows. 00:24:09.480 --> 00:24:09.759 Fear. 00:24:09.920 --> 00:24:17.920 When we fear people more than God, we start adjusting our loyalty to protect ourselves. 00:24:18.640 --> 00:24:20.300 That's what Jesus is teaching right here. 00:24:20.720 --> 00:24:21.840 That's what he's reminding us. 00:24:22.060 --> 00:24:28.539 And so he moves from exposing the hypocrisy and saying, listen, this shouldn't be in your life, but I want to remind you where it comes from. 00:24:28.539 --> 00:24:33.940 So when pressure comes, it clarifies who you fear. 00:24:33.940 --> 00:24:37.740 So not only is it exposed to the heart, but it clarifies who we fear. 00:24:37.740 --> 00:24:38.420 Verse number four. 00:24:38.820 --> 00:24:44.559 And I say unto you, my friends, be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more they can do. 00:24:44.559 --> 00:24:48.039 But I will forewarn you of whom you fear. 00:24:48.039 --> 00:24:52.799 Fear him which after he hath killed hath the power to cast into hell. 00:24:52.799 --> 00:24:55.559 Yea, I say unto you, fear him. 00:24:56.720 --> 00:25:01.079 Jesus comes here in these verses, and I love how he says in verse four, my friends. 00:25:01.079 --> 00:25:06.220 We can't run over that because he's not being mean here. 00:25:06.939 --> 00:25:08.679 He's not being hateful here. 00:25:08.980 --> 00:25:12.220 No, the idea is he's saying, listen, things are real. 00:25:12.220 --> 00:25:21.960 Because we don't really grasp the sway and the power that these Pharisees and this religious elite, the Sanhedrin of Israel, had. 00:25:22.779 --> 00:25:30.680 Because if you were kicked out, if you were exposed, if they said, hey, you're not allowed to come to the synagogue, you're not allowed to do any of this, your life was done. 00:25:31.720 --> 00:25:33.360 Like, this wasn't just their church. 00:25:33.440 --> 00:25:35.900 It was the center of everything they did. 00:25:36.400 --> 00:25:39.480 And so they lived in fear of these Pharisees. 00:25:39.480 --> 00:25:45.579 I mean, you remember in the story in, I believe, the Gospel of John, chapter 9, I think it is, where the blind man got healed. 00:25:46.099 --> 00:25:49.039 And they asked his parents, they said, hey, has he been blind since his birthday? 00:25:49.460 --> 00:25:50.220 No comment. 00:25:50.960 --> 00:25:51.920 We're not going to answer. 00:25:52.420 --> 00:25:53.160 Why don't you ask him? 00:25:53.200 --> 00:25:53.779 He's old enough. 00:25:53.819 --> 00:25:54.579 You know why they wouldn't answer? 00:25:54.779 --> 00:25:56.360 They were afraid of the Jews. 00:25:57.019 --> 00:26:01.259 They were afraid of the synagogue and losing all of their rights and all of their privileges. 00:26:02.960 --> 00:26:09.220 And Jesus is saying, listen, there comes a time in your life, if you're going to follow me, you've got to draw a line in the sand. 00:26:09.759 --> 00:26:10.880 You've got to be able to move over. 00:26:10.940 --> 00:26:15.700 You've got to be able to decide who you're going to follow. 00:26:17.019 --> 00:26:22.700 Because Jesus knew there were some in this crowd that were going to face real-life persecution. 00:26:23.500 --> 00:26:24.640 I mean, we know the disciples. 00:26:25.400 --> 00:26:27.700 Almost all of them were martyred for the cause of Christ. 00:26:28.200 --> 00:26:29.980 They tried to martyr the Apostle John. 00:26:30.200 --> 00:26:32.539 They just boiled him in oil and threw him on an Isle of Patmos. 00:26:33.180 --> 00:26:38.559 He said, listen, there's going to come a time where you're going to need to know, are you all in for me? 00:26:38.680 --> 00:26:40.359 Or are you just kind of living for yourself? 00:26:42.319 --> 00:26:46.619 And what he does is he reminds them and he reminds us that the fear of man is limited. 00:26:47.759 --> 00:26:51.599 I know it seems drastic, but the most they can do is just kill you. 00:26:52.899 --> 00:26:53.619 You think, oh, man. 00:26:54.119 --> 00:26:55.359 I mean, but really that's what Jesus says. 00:26:55.359 --> 00:26:56.559 He says they can mock you. 00:26:56.799 --> 00:26:57.720 They can exclude you. 00:26:57.799 --> 00:26:58.660 They can slander you. 00:26:58.860 --> 00:26:59.920 They can even kill you. 00:27:00.220 --> 00:27:01.640 But that's where their authority ends. 00:27:02.680 --> 00:27:05.819 Hey, once that happens, they have no say afterwards. 00:27:06.100 --> 00:27:07.279 They cannot touch your soul. 00:27:07.559 --> 00:27:09.140 They cannot undo your salvation. 00:27:09.299 --> 00:27:11.299 They cannot revoke your standing with God. 00:27:12.019 --> 00:27:17.000 And that's why Jesus says in verse number five, something that wasn't popular then and still isn't popular today, 00:27:17.000 --> 00:27:20.339 but he reminds them that he's the one that has that authority. 00:27:21.400 --> 00:27:23.000 That you need to be living for Christ. 00:27:23.100 --> 00:27:24.420 You need to be placing your faith in him. 00:27:24.799 --> 00:27:26.240 That's who you need to fear. 00:27:26.240 --> 00:27:31.500 Not fear and the idea of scared, but have this awe. 00:27:32.160 --> 00:27:33.720 To have this reverence. 00:27:34.359 --> 00:27:37.039 This is not, Jesus is not trying to incite panic. 00:27:38.180 --> 00:27:44.620 No, what he wants followers of him to know is that he has absolute authority. 00:27:45.640 --> 00:27:46.620 That's who Jesus is. 00:27:47.240 --> 00:27:49.079 That's why at the end of his ministry he said this, 00:27:49.380 --> 00:27:52.059 All power is given unto me. 00:27:52.660 --> 00:27:54.759 The word power has this idea, authority. 00:27:54.759 --> 00:27:58.379 And because he has all authority, he told his disciples, go. 00:27:58.980 --> 00:28:01.480 Go ye therefore and preach the gospel. 00:28:02.079 --> 00:28:03.519 And they did that. 00:28:03.819 --> 00:28:06.019 God alone holds eternal authority. 00:28:06.400 --> 00:28:11.240 Man has temporary influence, but God himself has the ultimate jurisdiction. 00:28:12.000 --> 00:28:13.180 Read the book of Proverbs. 00:28:13.400 --> 00:28:15.660 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. 00:28:16.180 --> 00:28:19.660 Listen, when we live in fear of man, it's going to change how we live our life. 00:28:19.660 --> 00:28:22.140 It's going to change how bold we are in our faith. 00:28:22.340 --> 00:28:25.160 It's going to change what we take a stand for and what we don't take a stand for. 00:28:25.580 --> 00:28:28.120 And we see it all the time in our world and we see it all the time in politics. 00:28:28.440 --> 00:28:29.920 I mean, they're flopping all over the place. 00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:30.160 Why? 00:28:30.340 --> 00:28:32.000 Because they're fearing what man's going to do. 00:28:32.580 --> 00:28:34.140 Well, if I say this, I'll lose this vote. 00:28:34.160 --> 00:28:35.460 And I do this, then I'll lose this job. 00:28:35.660 --> 00:28:37.900 Listen, that's not how we're to live our life. 00:28:38.940 --> 00:28:42.740 You go through scripture, you see all kinds of people that fear God and it changed their life. 00:28:42.740 --> 00:28:47.299 I heard about this guy that was on the backside of the desert for 40 years and a bush caught on fire. 00:28:47.579 --> 00:28:48.720 And he started talking to the bush. 00:28:48.819 --> 00:28:49.140 Guess what? 00:28:49.279 --> 00:28:50.120 He was afraid. 00:28:50.900 --> 00:28:53.319 I'd be afraid talking to a bush that was on fire. 00:28:54.539 --> 00:28:57.220 The Bible says that Moses trembled before the bush. 00:28:58.180 --> 00:29:01.480 But that experience changed his life. 00:29:02.319 --> 00:29:09.220 We see Isaiah that he's scared and he sees a vision of God on his throne high and lifted up in the book of Isaiah chapter number 6. 00:29:09.220 --> 00:29:14.600 And he said, woe is me, for I am undone, and I live in the midst of people that are unclean. 00:29:14.920 --> 00:29:18.200 And he was scared, but the fear didn't crush him. 00:29:18.500 --> 00:29:20.539 It reoriented his life. 00:29:22.220 --> 00:29:24.640 And that's why we have to make sure we're fearing the right things. 00:29:25.420 --> 00:29:30.440 Because if we're fearing the man, it's going to reorient our life not around what God wants it to be. 00:29:30.860 --> 00:29:36.360 But when we fear God and we understand that he is in control, he reminds us it's going to change your life. 00:29:36.359 --> 00:29:42.099 We see verse 6 and 7, to me at first, it seems kind of out of place. 00:29:43.139 --> 00:29:49.099 He's talking about, you know, fear them that can do this, but you really need to fear God because he has the authority over your soul. 00:29:49.559 --> 00:29:52.519 Then he starts talking about birds and hair on your head. 00:29:54.139 --> 00:29:55.439 Like, Jesus, are you ADD? 00:29:55.539 --> 00:29:56.639 What is going on here? 00:29:56.640 --> 00:30:00.820 Now, I think he wants us to see this. 00:30:02.120 --> 00:30:06.820 That the same God who judges eternally cares intimately about you. 00:30:08.520 --> 00:30:10.400 These sparrows, they were worth nothing. 00:30:10.900 --> 00:30:17.120 When you really said of the law and how much, you really paying for one, they were so useless, they just threw the other one in for free. 00:30:17.940 --> 00:30:20.120 But Jesus says, your father cares for both of them. 00:30:20.780 --> 00:30:22.700 Things that people just kind of throw in as a freebie. 00:30:22.700 --> 00:30:24.900 That God knows. 00:30:25.120 --> 00:30:26.880 He knows how much hair is on your head. 00:30:27.140 --> 00:30:31.860 The same God who has the power of hell knows all of these things about you. 00:30:32.019 --> 00:30:33.220 And he cares for you. 00:30:33.840 --> 00:30:35.140 That's what he's showing them. 00:30:35.440 --> 00:30:36.860 That's what he's reminding them. 00:30:37.080 --> 00:30:40.380 That holy fear of God does not mean living in terror. 00:30:40.680 --> 00:30:45.600 It means living under the rightful, wonderful authority of God alone. 00:30:46.380 --> 00:30:48.980 That you know he has your best interests at heart. 00:30:49.400 --> 00:30:51.380 How many of you know how many hair are on your head? 00:30:51.380 --> 00:30:55.420 And some of y'all have a better start than some of us. 00:30:56.760 --> 00:30:58.920 And I'm only going to say that until mine starts going too. 00:30:58.960 --> 00:31:00.320 And then we're going to change the joke, okay? 00:31:00.980 --> 00:31:05.600 I feel like, you know, maybe Elisha, when the bear's going to come out and eat me, I don't want to do that. 00:31:08.060 --> 00:31:11.800 Listen, when you fear God rightly, you're not unstable. 00:31:12.020 --> 00:31:13.020 That's what the world's going to label it. 00:31:13.120 --> 00:31:13.560 You know what you are? 00:31:13.680 --> 00:31:14.320 You're anchored. 00:31:15.320 --> 00:31:17.520 You're anchored in something that's actually sturdy. 00:31:17.519 --> 00:31:21.119 It's going to last, that can withstand the fear of man. 00:31:21.839 --> 00:31:26.139 When you fear God rightly, you're not trying to impress people. 00:31:26.319 --> 00:31:29.480 You're just resting in the one who knows you fully. 00:31:31.359 --> 00:31:32.440 Because here's the reality. 00:31:32.759 --> 00:31:34.980 If people knew everything about you, they'd run the other way. 00:31:34.980 --> 00:31:38.360 God knows everything about you and he came to you. 00:31:39.759 --> 00:31:41.579 He wants to change your life. 00:31:41.819 --> 00:31:43.220 That's what the cross of Calvary is about. 00:31:43.700 --> 00:31:45.019 What does it look like in my life? 00:31:45.240 --> 00:31:47.759 Listen, maybe starting tomorrow, maybe the lunch table at school. 00:31:47.960 --> 00:31:49.339 Hey guys, can I pray for our lunch? 00:31:50.819 --> 00:31:52.440 That's a big deal at school. 00:31:54.440 --> 00:31:55.620 Hey, can I pray at work? 00:31:56.759 --> 00:31:58.200 Well, I don't want to mix work. 00:31:58.420 --> 00:31:59.819 No, it's who you are. 00:31:59.819 --> 00:32:02.279 What if somebody sees me praying? 00:32:02.919 --> 00:32:06.679 Maybe it's easier to laugh at a joke that you know you shouldn't laugh at because it just blends in. 00:32:07.919 --> 00:32:15.299 Maybe it's saying silent when a biblical truth comes up and you could say something about it and you kind of just let it slide. 00:32:17.279 --> 00:32:20.619 Maybe you avoid spiritual conversations because it's uncomfortable. 00:32:21.859 --> 00:32:23.879 Listen, the fear of man asks, what will they think? 00:32:24.599 --> 00:32:26.720 The fear of God asks, what does he think? 00:32:26.720 --> 00:32:29.240 And Jesus is saying, listen, you're going to have opportunities. 00:32:29.700 --> 00:32:33.559 If you're going to be in, if you're going to follow me, when the pressure comes, who do you fear? 00:32:34.480 --> 00:32:36.980 Pressure is going to expose what really is going on. 00:32:37.360 --> 00:32:40.019 Number three, pressure reveals who you confess. 00:32:40.900 --> 00:32:46.600 We won't take time to read it for the sake of time, but in verses 8 through 10 we see words like confess and deny and before men and before God. 00:32:46.819 --> 00:32:49.360 Kind of has the idea, it's like almost courtroom language. 00:32:50.779 --> 00:32:53.019 These are things, they're concrete things. 00:32:53.019 --> 00:32:57.259 And what Jesus is doing is he is not describing private admiration. 00:32:57.539 --> 00:33:00.259 No, here's what he's calling for, public allegiance. 00:33:01.500 --> 00:33:05.960 God never calls us to be chameleon Christians, to blend in. 00:33:06.139 --> 00:33:07.619 No, we're in the book of 1 Peter. 00:33:07.799 --> 00:33:09.579 He says this, you're a peculiar people. 00:33:09.779 --> 00:33:10.859 You're a royal priesthood. 00:33:11.039 --> 00:33:12.099 You are set apart. 00:33:12.500 --> 00:33:16.259 There should be something noticeably different and it should be salt. 00:33:16.500 --> 00:33:17.400 It should be savory. 00:33:17.400 --> 00:33:21.460 It should be light that draws other people, not to you, but to him. 00:33:23.860 --> 00:33:27.440 But sometimes we, when the pressure comes, we're just not going to say anything. 00:33:28.340 --> 00:33:36.420 But to confess, it means to acknowledge openly, to agree with, to identify with, to declare your loyalty to. 00:33:38.420 --> 00:33:41.340 Listen, I'm thankful it doesn't say you have to be perfect at this. 00:33:41.600 --> 00:33:43.560 Because there was a man in this group, his name was Peter. 00:33:44.460 --> 00:33:46.680 I don't know if you remember this, but he said, I don't even know the guy. 00:33:47.600 --> 00:33:48.180 Three times. 00:33:49.240 --> 00:33:53.340 Listen, this is not a situation, and I know verse 10, we're going to get there in just a second. 00:33:54.759 --> 00:33:56.580 Confession doesn't mean you never struggle. 00:33:57.920 --> 00:34:02.740 It doesn't mean that you, every opportunity to confess Christ, to lift him up, to witness, 00:34:02.920 --> 00:34:05.380 it doesn't mean that you just nail it 100% of the time. 00:34:06.640 --> 00:34:11.500 But it does mean you don't hide where your loyalties lie, where your allegiance lies. 00:34:12.659 --> 00:34:15.820 Because verse number 10 is one of the most sobering warnings in all of Scripture. 00:34:16.679 --> 00:34:20.539 And this voice, this verse has troubled many hearts. 00:34:21.500 --> 00:34:28.599 But in the context, Jesus is not saying, well, if you do one wrong thing, you're going to never be forgiven for it. 00:34:29.000 --> 00:34:31.759 If you deny me, you're never, no, here's what he's saying. 00:34:31.980 --> 00:34:37.199 He's speaking about hardened, willful rejection of the truth of the Word of God. 00:34:37.199 --> 00:34:42.759 That when the Holy Spirit convicts our heart, and we continually reject it, and reject it, and reject it, 00:34:42.859 --> 00:34:45.619 and say, hey, you need a Savior, I'm good, I'm okay. 00:34:46.279 --> 00:34:50.839 And we do that constantly, constantly, and we die in that state, that cannot be forgiven. 00:34:51.799 --> 00:34:52.980 That's what it's talking about. 00:34:53.799 --> 00:34:54.619 That's what it means. 00:34:54.699 --> 00:34:58.779 To blaspheme the Holy Spirit is not a moment of weakness like we see in Peter. 00:34:58.780 --> 00:35:04.800 It's a persistent, settled rejection of the testimony of who Jesus Christ is. 00:35:05.660 --> 00:35:07.060 That is what he's talking about. 00:35:07.500 --> 00:35:08.700 And that's where the Pharisees were. 00:35:09.160 --> 00:35:14.080 Many of the Pharisees, they had seen the miracles, they had heard the teaching, they had witnessed the power, 00:35:14.320 --> 00:35:18.440 and instead of yielding to the Spirit, they said, nope, we're good how we are. 00:35:19.040 --> 00:35:20.960 And they consistently rejected it. 00:35:21.160 --> 00:35:22.300 They resisted the truth. 00:35:22.480 --> 00:35:26.880 And when somebody continually does that, the heart becomes calloused to the truth. 00:35:26.880 --> 00:35:30.840 So Jesus, what he's doing here is he is drawing a line. 00:35:32.000 --> 00:35:35.840 And he's saying this, there is forgiveness for weakness, there is forgiveness for sin, 00:35:36.079 --> 00:35:42.880 there is restoration for failure, but there is an extreme danger in hardened resistance to the truth of the Word of God. 00:35:43.700 --> 00:35:47.300 That if you hear it over and over and over, and you think, well, I'm a good person. 00:35:47.500 --> 00:35:48.860 Listen, good people don't go to heaven. 00:35:49.240 --> 00:35:50.460 Saved people go to heaven. 00:35:51.480 --> 00:35:53.380 It's the blood of Christ that makes a difference. 00:35:53.599 --> 00:35:55.519 It's the cross of Calvary that changes your life. 00:35:55.519 --> 00:36:03.280 Listen, under pressure, silence can reveal fear, but persistent, settled denial can reveal something much, much deeper. 00:36:04.360 --> 00:36:07.079 That maybe you're not all in on Christ like he told you to be. 00:36:10.119 --> 00:36:18.000 Listen, confessing Christ doesn't mean you have to take your Bible to work and have a, you know, preach to him during the lunch hour. 00:36:18.000 --> 00:36:22.639 But maybe when somebody's pouring your heart out, you say something like this, can I pray for you right now? 00:36:23.760 --> 00:36:24.460 You know what I've learned? 00:36:24.539 --> 00:36:27.219 If you ask somebody you can pray for them, almost they say, sure. 00:36:28.019 --> 00:36:30.099 They'll say things like this, I need all the prayer I can get. 00:36:30.159 --> 00:36:30.920 How many of you said that? 00:36:33.519 --> 00:36:35.360 Maybe mention what God's teaching you. 00:36:35.679 --> 00:36:38.599 Maybe saying graciously, as a Christian, I believe this. 00:36:39.300 --> 00:36:40.380 There's a lot of things in the news. 00:36:40.460 --> 00:36:41.139 They got a lot of opinions. 00:36:41.139 --> 00:36:44.359 But you can say, as a Christian, this is what I believe, based on the Word of God. 00:36:45.440 --> 00:36:53.440 Refusing to do certain things, identifying yourself with Jesus, even when it costs you socially, pointing to Christ when someone notices a difference. 00:36:53.579 --> 00:36:55.759 Listen, confession isn't just about being loud. 00:36:55.980 --> 00:36:58.000 It's about being allegiant to Christ. 00:36:58.679 --> 00:37:00.819 About being all in on him. 00:37:01.460 --> 00:37:03.000 Listen, we speak about what we love. 00:37:03.099 --> 00:37:04.079 We defend what we treasure. 00:37:04.339 --> 00:37:06.219 We identify with what defines us. 00:37:06.219 --> 00:37:10.839 And if Jesus defines us, he will not remain hidden in your life. 00:37:12.039 --> 00:37:16.159 That we should be excited that Jesus, listen, I know it's Sunday morning, I know I'm going over. 00:37:16.259 --> 00:37:17.399 We're okay, we're going to be fine. 00:37:17.519 --> 00:37:21.359 But you should be excited that Jesus Christ changed your life. 00:37:21.939 --> 00:37:22.759 You should be. 00:37:23.259 --> 00:37:26.339 You should be glad that you were on your way to hell, and now you're on your way to heaven. 00:37:26.500 --> 00:37:28.759 And it's nothing you did, it's all that he did. 00:37:29.359 --> 00:37:31.539 And that should slip out a little bit at work. 00:37:32.139 --> 00:37:33.219 That should come into your conversations. 00:37:34.000 --> 00:37:35.239 That should come into your snap. 00:37:35.239 --> 00:37:36.539 That should come onto your Instagram. 00:37:36.739 --> 00:37:36.859 Why? 00:37:36.939 --> 00:37:40.099 Because it's everything about you is Jesus Christ. 00:37:42.500 --> 00:37:45.479 Now at this point, you think, man, this is weighty. 00:37:45.559 --> 00:37:46.039 It is. 00:37:46.899 --> 00:37:47.639 What if I fail? 00:37:48.379 --> 00:37:50.399 What if when the moment comes, I freeze this? 00:37:50.979 --> 00:37:52.939 What if I don't have the right words? 00:37:55.119 --> 00:37:57.500 Jesus knows that's probably our thought line. 00:37:58.979 --> 00:38:03.359 And because he never commands confession without promising help, that's exactly what he does. 00:38:03.360 --> 00:38:06.280 Because you know what pressure should reveal in your life if you know him as your savior? 00:38:06.660 --> 00:38:08.519 You need his divine help. 00:38:09.539 --> 00:38:12.320 Pressure requires divine help. 00:38:12.400 --> 00:38:13.559 That's what the last two verses do. 00:38:14.079 --> 00:38:16.000 These are not verses. 00:38:16.160 --> 00:38:19.039 These used to be my life verses in school because I thought, well, I just won't study. 00:38:19.260 --> 00:38:21.820 And the Lord will give me all the answers when I need the answers. 00:38:22.079 --> 00:38:23.500 When I stand before the teachers. 00:38:23.500 --> 00:38:26.980 This is not excusing the preacher, not studying. 00:38:27.199 --> 00:38:30.340 This is not accusing you of not getting in your own word. 00:38:30.559 --> 00:38:30.679 No. 00:38:30.840 --> 00:38:34.659 What it's reminding us is not to be anxious. 00:38:35.719 --> 00:38:39.280 Not to be paralyzed by fear over what you're going to say. 00:38:40.239 --> 00:38:40.420 Why? 00:38:40.480 --> 00:38:44.380 Because when you're in the word of God, when you're intimately growing in a relationship with him, 00:38:44.599 --> 00:38:46.219 you may not think you know things. 00:38:46.460 --> 00:38:50.039 But I hope all of you have been in a conversation and the Holy Spirit says, hey, say this. 00:38:50.039 --> 00:38:54.300 Hey, remember that verse that you learned in Sunday school when you were in children's church 25 years ago? 00:38:54.440 --> 00:38:55.480 Say that one right there. 00:38:55.940 --> 00:38:57.539 I hope you've experienced that. 00:38:57.719 --> 00:38:59.500 Because the Holy Spirit is not some distant being. 00:38:59.719 --> 00:39:01.400 No, he's alive and he's well. 00:39:01.599 --> 00:39:06.500 And he promised us in John 15 and John 16 that he's there to guide us and to help us and to lead us. 00:39:06.739 --> 00:39:08.440 Listen, that's what we need. 00:39:09.059 --> 00:39:13.599 You cannot, I cannot live the Christian life in my own strength. 00:39:14.300 --> 00:39:16.679 It requires divine help. 00:39:17.920 --> 00:39:18.960 Because it's not natural. 00:39:18.960 --> 00:39:21.800 These things that God asks us to do, it's not natural. 00:39:21.920 --> 00:39:23.480 You know what we're naturally bent to? 00:39:23.960 --> 00:39:24.320 Hypocrisy. 00:39:25.240 --> 00:39:28.139 We're not naturally bent to saying, listen, this is what the Lord Jesus Christ says. 00:39:28.760 --> 00:39:30.000 He changed my life. 00:39:30.900 --> 00:39:35.220 See, the same spirit who convicts the world of sin empowers believers to be the witness. 00:39:35.940 --> 00:39:40.639 The same spirit who inspired the scripture promises to strengthen us under pressure. 00:39:41.240 --> 00:39:43.039 We don't have time to look at it, but look in the book of Acts. 00:39:43.059 --> 00:39:44.720 You're going to see it over and over and over again. 00:39:44.719 --> 00:39:48.439 Peter and John get pulled in before these same men. 00:39:48.799 --> 00:39:52.039 And they said, I don't know what you think, but we ought to obey God rather than man. 00:39:52.939 --> 00:39:54.199 Where did all these things come from? 00:39:54.279 --> 00:39:54.819 The spirit. 00:39:56.639 --> 00:39:59.379 See, Jesus, here's what he's teaching us in these last verses and we're done. 00:40:00.059 --> 00:40:01.500 Confession is your responsibility. 00:40:01.879 --> 00:40:03.459 Living for Christ is your responsibility. 00:40:03.839 --> 00:40:05.500 Being bold for him is your responsibility. 00:40:05.879 --> 00:40:06.759 The rest is up to him. 00:40:07.699 --> 00:40:09.779 He promises the spirit will empower you. 00:40:09.780 --> 00:40:11.960 That's why he gave the spirit. 00:40:12.440 --> 00:40:15.120 They remember in John 14, they were all sad Jesus was leaving. 00:40:15.240 --> 00:40:16.680 He said, listen, it's a good thing. 00:40:17.440 --> 00:40:18.300 It's a better thing. 00:40:18.540 --> 00:40:21.000 I have to go away and I will send the comforter. 00:40:21.519 --> 00:40:23.100 I will send help for you. 00:40:23.440 --> 00:40:25.300 And we have help, but here's the problem. 00:40:25.380 --> 00:40:27.060 Sometimes we don't tap into it. 00:40:28.080 --> 00:40:28.700 It's there. 00:40:29.720 --> 00:40:31.420 We aren't called to drum up courage. 00:40:31.680 --> 00:40:34.300 We're called to depend on the spirit of God. 00:40:35.240 --> 00:40:39.800 The Holy Spirit, he doesn't get a lot of notoriety like he should. 00:40:40.019 --> 00:40:42.620 I think we've been scared off just to be honest by certain denominations. 00:40:42.880 --> 00:40:44.780 The Holy Spirit is not a backup plan. 00:40:45.760 --> 00:40:49.360 He is a divine helper promised to us. 00:40:50.220 --> 00:40:54.300 And I'm so thankful under pressure that we're not left to our own resources. 00:40:55.180 --> 00:40:56.000 We're empowered. 00:40:56.000 --> 00:40:58.860 We're promised to be empowered by God himself. 00:41:00.920 --> 00:41:02.480 Maybe this week it looks like this. 00:41:02.600 --> 00:41:03.980 Lord, you're going to have a hard conversation. 00:41:04.300 --> 00:41:05.019 You know you have something difficult. 00:41:05.599 --> 00:41:07.880 Just before you walk into it, Lord, would you help me? 00:41:08.940 --> 00:41:10.099 You're not going to have a 45-minute prayer. 00:41:10.740 --> 00:41:11.320 He's there. 00:41:12.240 --> 00:41:13.740 Trusting God when words don't come easily. 00:41:14.219 --> 00:41:15.659 Obeying even when your voice shakes. 00:41:15.980 --> 00:41:16.920 Speaking truth kindly. 00:41:17.039 --> 00:41:18.260 Letting the spirit do the convincing. 00:41:18.519 --> 00:41:19.639 God didn't call you to convince. 00:41:19.800 --> 00:41:21.139 He just called you to obey. 00:41:21.840 --> 00:41:22.880 That's what he's called you to do. 00:41:24.500 --> 00:41:26.400 See, following Jesus is costly. 00:41:27.639 --> 00:41:30.300 And here in our text, he doesn't give a survival strategy. 00:41:31.139 --> 00:41:31.780 Here's what he says. 00:41:32.519 --> 00:41:33.119 Check your heart. 00:41:33.980 --> 00:41:34.920 That's where it starts. 00:41:35.579 --> 00:41:36.260 You know what God's after? 00:41:36.480 --> 00:41:37.079 Your heart. 00:41:38.079 --> 00:41:40.059 The Pharisees thought, well, we look really good. 00:41:40.320 --> 00:41:41.579 He doesn't, it's not what he's looking for. 00:41:41.760 --> 00:41:43.740 Because you know what, the heart, it's going to change how you look anyways. 00:41:44.639 --> 00:41:45.719 If he has your heart, he has everything. 00:41:46.880 --> 00:41:47.960 It's a heart diagnosis. 00:41:48.960 --> 00:41:50.639 Because the pressure doesn't create faith. 00:41:50.679 --> 00:41:51.800 It just reveals where it is. 00:41:51.800 --> 00:41:56.000 If we fear people, we're going to focus on managing expectations. 00:41:56.000 --> 00:41:59.760 But if we fear God, we're going to boldly confess Christ. 00:42:01.159 --> 00:42:02.539 Pressure's coming this week for you. 00:42:03.599 --> 00:42:04.780 The only question is this. 00:42:05.219 --> 00:42:07.360 What will it reveal? 00:42:09.260 --> 00:42:12.239 If we want to live for Christ, we need to turn it over to him. 00:42:12.880 --> 00:42:15.099 Would you stand with your heads bowed and with your eyes closed? 00:42:15.099 --> 00:42:22.839 See this? 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280 00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:23.280