WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:11.980 Our scripture reading tonight is from Luke's Gospel, chapter 12, verses 4-12. 00:00:11.980 --> 00:00:20.359 I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that 00:00:20.359 --> 00:00:26.280 they can do, but I will warn you whom to fear. Fear Him who, after He has killed, has authority 00:00:26.280 --> 00:00:33.320 to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies, 00:00:33.920 --> 00:00:40.040 and not one of them is forgotten before God? Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 00:00:40.039 --> 00:00:47.339 Fear not, you are of more value than many sparrows. And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges Me before 00:00:47.339 --> 00:00:52.960 men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God. But the one who denies Me before 00:00:52.960 --> 00:00:58.759 men will be denied before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man 00:00:58.759 --> 00:01:03.340 will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 00:01:04.319 --> 00:01:08.719 And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious 00:01:08.719 --> 00:01:14.480 about how you should defend yourself or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you 00:01:14.480 --> 00:01:19.859 in that very hour what you ought to say. This is God's holy Word. 00:01:21.140 --> 00:01:27.859 It's not too often that I stand up on a Sunday evening, look out, and see the clock saying that 00:01:27.859 --> 00:01:37.780 it's only five o'clock. So that gives us plenty of time. We're working our way through this section of 00:01:37.780 --> 00:01:46.460 Luke's Gospel. And in this section, I suppose what we're dealing with are obstacles to discipleship. 00:01:46.560 --> 00:01:52.280 Last week, we looked at a kind of internal obstacle, indwelling sin, the sin of hypocrisy. 00:01:52.280 --> 00:01:59.840 And in the next few weeks, we're kind of looking at external obstacles, as it were. Opposition, 00:02:00.379 --> 00:02:07.599 the theme this evening. A number of years ago, I was reflecting on this, and I realized that 00:02:07.599 --> 00:02:15.500 it was really quite a long time ago. In fact, I was still in my 20s. So that is a very long time ago. 00:02:15.500 --> 00:02:23.939 And we were a holiday on the Isle of Aran. And I went on a walk, a ridge walk, with my brother, 00:02:24.300 --> 00:02:31.979 one of my brothers, Martin. And at that time, he was a soldier. He'd just returned from serving in 00:02:31.979 --> 00:02:37.879 the Gulf War. And Martin was, still is, really, one of those kind of climb every mountain, 00:02:37.879 --> 00:02:46.659 and ford every stream kind of guys. And our walk started off quite easily, gentle pace. We climbed 00:02:46.659 --> 00:02:53.319 higher. The rough track we were following got more and more difficult. We chatted, we talked, 00:02:53.460 --> 00:03:01.180 laughed, and so forth. Took in the marvelous vista that this route afforded. And that was until the 00:03:01.180 --> 00:03:07.819 path we were following just disappeared. We consulted the map. For those of you a certain age, a map is 00:03:07.819 --> 00:03:15.539 a paper thing that you kind of open out. And sure enough, the path just disappeared, petered out. 00:03:16.659 --> 00:03:23.159 My brother thought we should just press on regardless and navigate around the lower part of what is known 00:03:23.159 --> 00:03:31.900 as the Achir Ridge. And so we continued on until we found ourselves, or rather, I found myself 00:03:31.900 --> 00:03:42.719 clinging, really, to the face of a steep cliff, a few hundred meters drop below. And at this point, 00:03:42.960 --> 00:03:50.460 the kind of laughter and the joking kind of evaporated. I was kind of clinging on for dear life, 00:03:50.580 --> 00:03:56.740 hoping not to plummet to my death below. There was, I suppose, a sense of fear. My brother, 00:03:56.740 --> 00:04:01.260 you know, said things like, oh, we should probably have brought ropes for a climb like this, and 00:04:01.260 --> 00:04:06.280 I don't think we have the right equipment for a climb of this difficulty. This is actually quite 00:04:06.280 --> 00:04:13.000 dangerous, David. I said, thanks, thanks, brother. Now, the point of telling the story is that one moment, 00:04:13.240 --> 00:04:20.240 everything is kind of happy, and we're laughing and joking, taking in the views. The next moment, 00:04:20.240 --> 00:04:28.100 a whole set of different priorities had come to the fore. Within just really a few minutes, really, 00:04:28.660 --> 00:04:36.500 everything had changed. The entire mood, the feeling of our walk suddenly dramatically shifted 00:04:36.500 --> 00:04:46.620 as the terrain changed and danger loomed. And there's something of that kind of shift taking part here 00:04:46.620 --> 00:04:58.240 in this section of Luke's gospel. Luke is letting us see how, with Jesus journeying towards Jerusalem, 00:04:59.000 --> 00:05:06.980 the terrain is getting harder. Tension is building. Resistance, as we saw last week, is growing. 00:05:08.100 --> 00:05:14.980 Anyone who wants to follow Jesus is going to have to be really committed. If it were a film, 00:05:14.980 --> 00:05:22.800 we would perhaps suddenly have a… the music would have grown more somber, sinister, darker. Because 00:05:22.800 --> 00:05:32.780 there's real opposition making its presence felt. It's no longer a kind of gentle stroll in the country. 00:05:33.480 --> 00:05:40.720 This is an arduous climb on a dangerous peak. And one of the big questions for Jesus' followers, 00:05:40.720 --> 00:05:48.620 as opposition set in, was how would they react? How would they respond? Would they become fearful, 00:05:48.800 --> 00:05:56.340 anxious? Would they freeze? Would they be unable to move? Would they hide away and simply desert Jesus? 00:05:57.080 --> 00:06:05.960 What would they do? And sometimes we can face such seasons in our own lives, times of hardship and 00:06:05.959 --> 00:06:13.459 difficulty. The wind appears to be strong in our face, as it was earlier today. The terrain rocky, 00:06:13.579 --> 00:06:18.680 everything a challenge. How do we respond when things are difficult and challenging? 00:06:20.799 --> 00:06:27.939 In Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, a great book from the middle of the 17th century, kind of allegory of 00:06:27.939 --> 00:06:36.019 the Christian life. There's a point in the story where Christian is joined by someone called Mr. Byenz, 00:06:36.779 --> 00:06:41.420 and he wants to join Christian on his journey. And he tells Christian, 00:06:42.060 --> 00:06:48.860 we somewhat differ in religion from those of the stricter sort in two small points. First, 00:06:49.000 --> 00:06:57.860 we never strive against wind and tide. Secondly, we're always most zealous when religion goes in his 00:06:57.860 --> 00:07:06.879 silver slippers. We love much to walk with him in the street if the sun shines and the people applaud him. 00:07:07.879 --> 00:07:17.060 And Christian responds, if you will go with us, you must go against wind and tide. You must also own 00:07:17.060 --> 00:07:26.720 religion in his rags, as well as when in his silver slippers, and stand by him too when bound in irons, 00:07:26.720 --> 00:07:35.240 as well as when he walketh the streets with applause. Christian discipleship is not all about 00:07:35.240 --> 00:07:43.720 silver slippers, sunny days, comfort, and ease. Hard and difficult times are par for the course. 00:07:45.100 --> 00:07:52.320 For those of my generation, we've witnessed a very noticeable, dramatic cultural mood change 00:07:52.319 --> 00:08:03.079 over many years. The Christian assumptions on which our society, much of our society has been built, 00:08:03.579 --> 00:08:13.939 now in danger of being swept away. We find the chill winds of strident atheism, militant Islam, 00:08:14.500 --> 00:08:21.180 blowing in our faces. We see a tide of social and political individualism sweeping away, 00:08:21.180 --> 00:08:29.139 long-held perspectives on the value of human life. And we've become a culture that now seems to have 00:08:29.139 --> 00:08:37.720 little room for a robust Christianity. We live in a society where to own up to being a Christian 00:08:37.720 --> 00:08:47.200 will almost certainly mean opposition and ridicule. In days past, being a Christian may have felt like 00:08:47.200 --> 00:08:54.820 taking a walk in the outdoors with the sun shining. But now it resembles a much more arduous task, 00:08:55.440 --> 00:09:01.220 one that demands concentration and application and courage and commitment. 00:09:02.740 --> 00:09:09.240 And that change in mood presents us with all kinds of questions as we seek to follow Jesus. 00:09:09.240 --> 00:09:16.820 And in these verses before us tonight, Jesus deals with this subject. He speaks about facing opposition 00:09:16.820 --> 00:09:22.419 and how we should go about it. And I want you to notice with me, well, since it's only five past five, 00:09:22.700 --> 00:09:31.980 five things from the text tonight. Five things that Jesus says we need to do if we're going to press on 00:09:31.980 --> 00:09:42.480 in our Christian lives. The first is this. We need to have an eternal perspective. Verses four and five. 00:09:42.840 --> 00:09:48.360 I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. 00:09:48.899 --> 00:09:56.100 But I will warn you whom to fear. Fear him who after he has killed has authority to cast into hell. 00:09:56.100 --> 00:10:05.899 Yes, I tell you, fear him. We need to have an eternal perspective. One of the first reactions when we face 00:10:05.899 --> 00:10:12.580 opposition or when things get difficult is that we become afraid. And it's this danger that Jesus, 00:10:12.860 --> 00:10:20.019 I think, turns to first. In a situation where we're in a minority, we're oppressed, or we're facing trials 00:10:20.019 --> 00:10:26.779 or difficulties because of our faith. It's easy, perhaps natural, to feel afraid. What will happen? 00:10:26.899 --> 00:10:32.919 What will they say about us? What will they do to us? It's not an academic point. It's a practical 00:10:32.919 --> 00:10:40.439 reality for thousands of Christians right across the world today. And that fear can very quickly make us 00:10:40.439 --> 00:10:48.519 silent. It can seal our lips. It can encourage us to keep our heads down, makes us follow the crowd. 00:10:48.519 --> 00:10:55.799 We become so concerned about what others think, what others might say or do to us, that our faith can 00:10:55.799 --> 00:11:05.579 become paralyzed, rendered ineffectual. I wonder, have you ever wondered what keeps Christians going 00:11:05.579 --> 00:11:12.939 despite sometimes tremendous hardships and troubles? Think about those who've been martyred for their faith, 00:11:12.940 --> 00:11:21.480 how they stood firm in the face of fierce opposition, trial, even death. How on earth did they overcome 00:11:21.480 --> 00:11:32.120 those fears? Where did they find the courage? Think of Ann Askew, a Protestant martyr, 1546, was tortured 00:11:32.120 --> 00:11:38.080 on the rack so that she could not walk or stand. When asked to recant, she replied this, 00:11:38.080 --> 00:11:51.240 I came not hither to deny my Lord and Master. She feared God rather than man. She did not fear those 00:11:51.240 --> 00:11:58.080 who killed the body. She feared and loved the one who has authority to cast men and women into hell. 00:11:58.080 --> 00:12:08.360 In other words, such men and women saw the present in the light of the future that is yet to come. 00:12:09.259 --> 00:12:17.379 They saw today in the light of that great tomorrow. They had a perspective that included God and the 00:12:17.379 --> 00:12:26.180 inevitability of judgment to come. They were more concerned to please God than anyone else. 00:12:26.179 --> 00:12:33.359 That was the perspective we were hearing about some months ago of Daniel in Babylon, 00:12:34.299 --> 00:12:39.819 the perspective of the early Christians. It's what the Reformers had in their days, 00:12:39.939 --> 00:12:46.459 what many Christians in different parts of the world have also to deal with today. But 00:12:46.459 --> 00:12:53.939 is that perspective what we have? They're living with an eternal perspective. 00:12:53.940 --> 00:13:04.320 But without this perspective, faith will simply wither and wilt. It will shrivel and die. 00:13:05.920 --> 00:13:15.980 If we simply have a this-worldly perspective, then we will do all that we can to avoid any kind of 00:13:15.980 --> 00:13:22.500 difficulty and hardship. We will have the stomach for nothing. And so Jesus says, 00:13:22.500 --> 00:13:28.159 don't fear those who can only kill the body, because that's the limit of their power. Yes, 00:13:28.240 --> 00:13:33.960 the tyrant may rage, and the persecutor may threaten, and the mob may bay for blood. 00:13:34.620 --> 00:13:41.480 But their power and authority ends at the cemetery gate. They can do their worst, but what is that 00:13:41.480 --> 00:13:46.820 compared with the God of heaven? And what lies within His power and authority? 00:13:46.820 --> 00:13:54.320 He is the one who has the power to give us exactly what we deserve and cast us into hell. 00:13:55.860 --> 00:14:01.660 Here is the fear of the Lord that is the beginning of wisdom, a wisdom that factors in the reality of 00:14:01.660 --> 00:14:08.440 divine accountability and acts accordingly, a wisdom that looks to Jesus as a much-needed Savior 00:14:08.440 --> 00:14:13.880 and Redeemer and Redeemer and sees in Him the love of God for hell-deserving sinners. 00:14:16.520 --> 00:14:25.460 So many of us have lost that biblical perspective that views the life to come in God's new heaven and 00:14:25.460 --> 00:14:35.040 earth as being more important than this one. We view this world as being big and the world to come 00:14:35.039 --> 00:14:45.879 as something small and insignificant. According to the Bible, the very reverse is true. It is this world 00:14:45.879 --> 00:14:54.779 that is small. It is this world that is ephemeral. It is this world that is passing away. It is the new 00:14:54.779 --> 00:15:03.240 world to come that is great. It is a new world to come that is substantial. It is the new world to come 00:15:03.240 --> 00:15:13.299 that is eternal and lasting. And we need to have an eternal perspective. It's part of why we're here 00:15:13.299 --> 00:15:20.159 on a Sunday, isn't it? To be reminded of these things, because we're not going to be reminded of them 00:15:20.159 --> 00:15:29.399 outside in our culture, are we? We need to have an eternal perspective if we're going to stand in the day 00:15:29.399 --> 00:15:38.159 of trial. Second thing, we need to remember God's love and care. When opposition sets in, when things 00:15:38.159 --> 00:15:46.620 get difficult, it's easy for us to doubt that God cares. Why has God allowed this to happen? Doesn't 00:15:46.620 --> 00:15:52.579 God care that this is happening to me or to my family? Hardships and difficulties often lead people 00:15:52.580 --> 00:15:59.940 to doubt God's love. And it's no surprise then that Jesus turns to this matter next. Are not, 00:16:00.139 --> 00:16:05.660 verse 6, five sparrows sold for two pennies? Not one of them is forgotten before God. Why? 00:16:06.560 --> 00:16:15.400 Even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, you're of more value than many sparrows. 00:16:15.399 --> 00:16:24.379 In Jesus' day, the sparrow were a cheap, common bird. In fact, they were among the cheapest things 00:16:24.379 --> 00:16:32.120 in an ancient market. Small, insignificant, practically worthless. And Jesus says God knows 00:16:32.120 --> 00:16:40.960 them, and God cares for them. And if God lavishes such care on these small creatures, 00:16:40.960 --> 00:16:52.660 how much more is He concerned for His children? He even knows the hairs on your head. He knows that 00:16:52.660 --> 00:17:01.540 people are more valuable than sparrows. And this illustration that Jesus uses is designed to 00:17:01.540 --> 00:17:09.120 convey the fact that God cares for His people in every aspect of their lives. He loves and looks after 00:17:09.119 --> 00:17:17.059 those who belong to Him. It doesn't mean that bad things may not happen to us. But it does mean that 00:17:17.059 --> 00:17:24.319 we are never outwith the scope of His care and love, no matter how difficult and hard things may appear. 00:17:26.000 --> 00:17:31.899 Oh, Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know me when I sit down and when I rise up. 00:17:32.119 --> 00:17:38.159 You discern my thoughts from afar, says the psalmist. You search out my path, my lying down, 00:17:38.160 --> 00:17:45.100 and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue. Behold, O Lord, You know it 00:17:45.100 --> 00:17:56.140 altogether. I wonder if we've ever even begun to grasp the incomparable greatness of God's love. 00:17:56.140 --> 00:18:05.180 For the amazing, for the amazing, almost unbelievable reality is that for this great God, 00:18:06.220 --> 00:18:15.140 your life matters to Him. Those apparently insignificant details that we brood about, 00:18:15.240 --> 00:18:20.880 that we're anxious over, those things that make us afraid, those concerns that we hold on to and won't 00:18:20.880 --> 00:18:29.780 let go, those things that internally tie us up in knots, all because we are too proud to bring them to 00:18:29.780 --> 00:18:39.420 Him. If we really know that God cares for us, we will not be slow to cast even those things upon Him. 00:18:40.260 --> 00:18:46.880 Remember Peter writing to Christians facing hard and difficult times, 1 Peter 5, 6, and 7, 00:18:46.880 --> 00:18:53.280 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time He may exalt you, 00:18:53.580 --> 00:19:03.400 casting all your anxieties on Him. Why? Because He cares for you. And if we're going to keep going 00:19:03.400 --> 00:19:09.040 in hard times, then we need to know that. You need to know that God loves and cares for you. 00:19:09.300 --> 00:19:16.460 You're worth so much to Him. Look what He's done for you. He sent Jesus to live the life that you could 00:19:16.460 --> 00:19:28.579 never live and to die in your place on the cross of Calvary. He shed His blood for you. That's how much He cares. 00:19:30.819 --> 00:19:36.640 An old hymn we used to sing back in the day, a children's hymn, 00:19:36.640 --> 00:19:53.340 God who sent His Son to die on Calvary. He, if I lean on Him, will care for me. Are you leaning on Him 00:19:53.340 --> 00:20:01.600 tonight? We need to have an eternal perspective. We need to remember God's care and love. Thirdly, 00:20:01.599 --> 00:20:08.659 we need to publicly confess Jesus. One of the other dangers we face when opposition sets in is that 00:20:08.659 --> 00:20:14.859 temptation to be quiet about our faith, to be quiet about our allegiance to Jesus. Let's keep the heads 00:20:14.859 --> 00:20:20.459 down. Let's not draw any attention to ourselves. But look what Jesus says here in verse 8 and 9, 00:20:20.599 --> 00:20:26.459 I tell you, everyone who acknowledges Me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels 00:20:26.460 --> 00:20:35.940 of God. But the one who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. Publicly acknowledging 00:20:35.940 --> 00:20:45.600 or confessing Jesus is not a small matter. It is a test of our allegiance and loyalty. It's a test 00:20:45.600 --> 00:20:55.079 of what is going on in our hearts. And being identified with Jesus is part and parcel of what it means 00:20:55.079 --> 00:21:06.059 to be His follower, a disciple. And we must, says Jesus, acknowledge Him before others, before a 00:21:06.059 --> 00:21:15.000 watching world. Do we love Him? Do we value Him? Or are we ashamed of Him? Is He our joy and delight? 00:21:15.740 --> 00:21:24.419 Are we living for Him? Confessing Jesus publicly and openly is an essential part 00:21:24.420 --> 00:21:31.279 of being a Christian. Remember what Paul says to the church in Rome, if you confess with your mouth, 00:21:31.560 --> 00:21:36.620 Jesus is Lord, believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 00:21:37.600 --> 00:21:45.019 There's no such thing as secret Christianity. Yes, of course, that can be difficult at home. 00:21:45.779 --> 00:21:50.800 Perhaps it can meet with scorn at school, university. It can meet with ridicule. 00:21:50.799 --> 00:21:59.680 At work it can meet with derision. But if we keep silent, it's because we are more concerned about 00:21:59.680 --> 00:22:08.099 what others think about us than we are about what God thinks. Following Jesus will mean reproach and 00:22:08.099 --> 00:22:17.200 rejection at times, for no servant is greater than his master. Why would you be ashamed of Jesus Christ? 00:22:17.200 --> 00:22:25.960 Now, of course, the acknowledgement that Jesus is referring to here is not a one-off. It's not 00:22:25.960 --> 00:22:35.480 something occasional, lapse. He's referring to something that is persistent and ongoing, a refusal to 00:22:35.480 --> 00:22:44.440 acknowledge Him. Because that public identification with and confession of Jesus is really a sign that we 00:22:44.440 --> 00:22:50.960 love Him and that we desire to follow Him. It's a sign that we are putting Him first, that He is our Lord 00:22:50.960 --> 00:22:58.160 and Savior. And so, in acknowledging Him before others, Jesus says we will be acknowledged before the 00:22:58.160 --> 00:23:06.460 angels in heaven. We will stand accepted for all eternity. But if we are constantly denying Him, 00:23:06.460 --> 00:23:16.840 then we will find ourselves denied. A persistent failure to acknowledge Jesus, you see, is a sign that we 00:23:16.840 --> 00:23:25.640 don't really love Him. We love only ourselves and our reputation and our status. 00:23:25.640 --> 00:23:35.580 Now, of course, of course, there's that famous example. You'll remember Peter, who denied Jesus three times, 00:23:36.460 --> 00:23:44.640 refused even to acknowledge that he knew Him. The most famous, prominent disciple of Jesus was guilty of 00:23:44.640 --> 00:23:49.800 denying Him. And yes, it is easy for us to do the same, to shrink back, 00:23:49.799 --> 00:24:02.119 to blend chameleon-like into the background. But of course, we learn that Peter received forgiveness, 00:24:02.680 --> 00:24:08.940 and in the power of the Holy Spirit, was commissioned as a preacher of the gospel and as a witness to the 00:24:08.940 --> 00:24:17.740 risen Christ. And he became someone whose love for Jesus eventually meant martyrdom. He chose to die 00:24:17.740 --> 00:24:27.660 a cross rather than deny Jesus again. It's a test, you see, of how much you love the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:24:29.019 --> 00:24:35.819 How much do you love Him? Do you love Him enough to stand out and to speak up? 00:24:37.579 --> 00:24:42.900 We need to have an eternal perspective. We need to remember God's love and care. We need to publicly 00:24:42.900 --> 00:24:50.540 confess Jesus. Fourthly, we need to hold on to the gospel. Unfortunately, in time of trial, men and 00:24:50.540 --> 00:24:55.180 women can abandon the gospel and lose faith altogether. There have been instances, I think, 00:24:55.480 --> 00:25:02.160 under severe persecution, Christianity has been eradicated from certain geographical areas of the 00:25:02.160 --> 00:25:07.880 world. Not just that Christians were killed and martyred, it was because some abandoned the faith 00:25:07.880 --> 00:25:16.140 altogether. Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, verse 10, will be forgiven, but the one who 00:25:16.140 --> 00:25:22.960 blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. What's Jesus speaking about here? 00:25:24.320 --> 00:25:30.300 Well, clearly what He's speaking about is related to forgiveness. The Christian gospel is a gospel of 00:25:30.300 --> 00:25:37.760 forgiveness. It's a gospel of pardon. A restored relationship with God can only begin with the 00:25:37.759 --> 00:25:44.200 forgiveness of forgiveness of forgiveness. Later on in the gospel, Jesus describes the purpose of His 00:25:44.200 --> 00:25:52.920 death in these words, this is My blood poured out for what? The forgiveness of sins. Being forgiven underpins 00:25:52.920 --> 00:25:58.839 everything in the Christian life. How on earth can we ourselves be a people of forgiveness unless we 00:25:58.839 --> 00:26:09.759 ourselves have known the forgiving love of God? Notice how Jesus speaks here about two kinds of sin, a sin that 00:26:09.759 --> 00:26:16.799 can be forgiven, and then He speaks about a sin that cannot be forgiven. And the sin that can be forgiven 00:26:16.799 --> 00:26:25.659 is described as one that speaks against the Son of Man, that is Jesus. This refers to those who have seen Jesus at 00:26:25.660 --> 00:26:31.960 work, but through misunderstanding, a lack of sin that can be forgiven, and He speaks against Him, only later 00:26:31.960 --> 00:26:38.560 to repent and believe and enjoy the forgiveness that He alone can bring. An example of that might be 00:26:38.560 --> 00:26:46.800 Saul of Tarsus, the Pharisee, blasphemed against Jesus, spoke out against Him and His followers, and yet later 00:26:46.800 --> 00:26:55.460 came to forgiveness and faith. Perhaps some of us here, before we became Christians, spoke out against the 00:26:55.460 --> 00:27:01.279 Lord Jesus Christ, against the Lord Jesus Christ, against the church, against the gospel, and yet subsequently 00:27:01.279 --> 00:27:08.579 came to know the truth and know God's forgiveness for ourselves. And this is the gospel we have to hold 00:27:08.579 --> 00:27:16.480 on to. It's a gospel of life. It's not without reason that the Apostles' Creed says, I believe in the 00:27:16.480 --> 00:27:25.980 forgiveness of sin. And yet there's another sin that Jesus mentions here in solemn words. He describes 00:27:25.980 --> 00:27:33.000 something that we know as the unpardonable sin, a sin for which there is apparently no forgiveness. 00:27:33.900 --> 00:27:42.640 And that's a scary thought. Sometimes, as a minister, you come across people who tell you that they're afraid 00:27:42.640 --> 00:27:50.060 that they've committed the unpardonable sin. In my opinion, the very fact that they're afraid that they've 00:27:50.060 --> 00:27:56.380 committed such a sin is a testimony enough that they haven't. Because if someone is worried about having 00:27:56.380 --> 00:28:04.380 committed the unpardonable sin, then clearly they haven't committed the unpardonable sin. Those guilty of what 00:28:04.380 --> 00:28:10.940 Jesus here calls blasphemy against the Holy Spirit are not in the slightest bit afraid of what they've done. 00:28:11.740 --> 00:28:18.460 The reference here is to a heart hardened against the gospel and determined on a course of apostasy, 00:28:18.460 --> 00:28:27.340 an utter rejection of the Spirit's work. And such people are in no way inclined to seek the forgiveness 00:28:27.339 --> 00:28:35.159 of God. The letter to the Hebrews, written to Christians facing great opposition, tempted to 00:28:35.159 --> 00:28:41.679 abandon the faith. And the author writes there in Hebrews chapter 6, verse 4, it is impossible to 00:28:41.679 --> 00:28:48.059 restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who've tasted the heavenly gift, 00:28:48.379 --> 00:28:53.519 shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the Word of God and the power of the age to 00:28:53.519 --> 00:29:01.079 come. If they then fall away, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own 00:29:01.079 --> 00:29:09.920 harm and holding Him up to contempt. Well, we're not going to go down the whole of that passage tonight, 00:29:10.059 --> 00:29:18.000 but there's a people who have tasted something of the power of the age to come, have come under 00:29:18.000 --> 00:29:26.519 the influence in some way of the Holy Spirit, but have ended up repudiating the gospel entirely. 00:29:28.140 --> 00:29:37.380 And that is a danger. People come and they get influenced, shaped by the church culture perhaps, 00:29:37.940 --> 00:29:44.140 to a degree, but it's never really owned. It's never really personal. 00:29:44.140 --> 00:29:54.340 I remember having a most sobering conversation with a man I consider a fine minister and preacher of the 00:29:54.340 --> 00:30:01.900 gospel, and yet who abandoned it all and turned his back on Jesus Christ to pursue a very different 00:30:01.900 --> 00:30:11.880 lifestyle. And the path he chose involved both a rejection of the Bible's authority and a repudiation 00:30:11.880 --> 00:30:19.440 of the Spirit's work. And so, friends, in these days, as never before perhaps, we need to encourage one 00:30:19.440 --> 00:30:28.380 another to hold on to the gospel, the gospel of life, the gospel of forgiveness. Again, that's part of the 00:30:28.380 --> 00:30:32.040 importance of the fellowship of God's people. 00:30:32.039 --> 00:30:41.159 We need an eternal perspective. We need to remember God's love and care for us. We need to publicly 00:30:41.159 --> 00:30:45.619 confess Jesus, no matter what. We need to hold on to the gospel. 00:30:47.180 --> 00:30:50.619 And fifthly and finally, we need to rely on the Holy Spirit. 00:30:52.359 --> 00:30:56.299 And when, verse 11, they bring you before the synagogues and rulers and authorities, 00:30:56.299 --> 00:31:02.000 don't be anxious about how you should defend yourself, what you should say, for the Holy Spirit 00:31:02.000 --> 00:31:09.579 will teach you in that very hour what you want to say. There are situations in life, aren't there, 00:31:09.619 --> 00:31:16.639 when it's natural for us to be worried about what we're going to say. Perhaps we have to make a speech 00:31:16.639 --> 00:31:21.159 or we have to present a paper. Maybe we have to give testimony in a court of law. 00:31:21.160 --> 00:31:28.320 In these verses, Jesus speaks about that kind of situation. He knows that following and being 00:31:28.320 --> 00:31:35.019 faithful to Him will be costly. His disciples may find themselves in trouble with the authorities. 00:31:35.440 --> 00:31:41.920 And in such circumstances, Jesus knows that His followers may have to defend themselves. 00:31:43.259 --> 00:31:50.640 A daunting prospect. Only natural that His disciples be anxious about such a possibility. 00:31:51.160 --> 00:31:58.820 And so, Jesus gives a great promise here to His followers. He doesn't promise a get-out-of-jail-free 00:31:58.820 --> 00:32:07.620 card. He promises them the help of the Holy Spirit. It tells them not to worry. The Holy Spirit will 00:32:07.620 --> 00:32:17.380 teach them what to say when required. It's a very specific promise. It's not given to preachers 00:32:17.380 --> 00:32:25.860 who don't prepare their sermons. It is given to men and women facing the pressure of this world's 00:32:25.860 --> 00:32:34.660 antagonism and hatred. It's a word of comfort that the Comforter, the Spirit, will be with us in such 00:32:34.660 --> 00:32:42.800 times. And that in all our weakness and frailty that we so often feel, we can rely on Him. We can trust Him. 00:32:42.799 --> 00:32:51.159 Martin Lloyd-Jones tells a story in one of his books of a young girl in the days of the Covenanters. 00:32:51.680 --> 00:33:00.059 She's traveling to a prohibited afternoon communion service. And the king's soldiers were on the look 00:33:00.059 --> 00:33:05.879 out for anyone going to such a meeting. Unfortunately for the poor girl, she stumbled 00:33:05.880 --> 00:33:15.580 into a band of soldiers and found herself trapped. And she answered her inquisitors by telling them this, 00:33:16.580 --> 00:33:24.300 My elder brother has died. They're going to read his will this afternoon. He's done something for me, 00:33:24.720 --> 00:33:30.700 and he's left something for me, and I want to hear them read the will. 00:33:30.700 --> 00:33:40.220 And they allowed her to pass. The Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you must say. 00:33:41.759 --> 00:33:49.120 The Holy Spirit was the lifelong companion of our Lord Jesus Christ. And the Spirit who was in and 00:33:49.120 --> 00:33:55.180 upon our Lord Jesus is now, if we're Christian believers tonight, is now in and upon our lives, 00:33:55.180 --> 00:34:02.900 bringing to us all that Christ was and is for us. He is our comforter. He is our helper. He is our 00:34:02.900 --> 00:34:10.559 counselor. He is our teacher. And so, the truth is, as disciples of Jesus Christ, we are never, 00:34:10.840 --> 00:34:16.840 ever alone, because He is always with us. He's promised never to leave us, never to forsake us, 00:34:16.840 --> 00:34:26.720 never to abandon us. God has not left you defenseless in this world. Jesus Christ has gone before us. 00:34:27.100 --> 00:34:32.720 He has won a great victory for us. He is our great champion. He is our shield, our high tower, 00:34:32.980 --> 00:34:40.140 our refuge and strength. And friends, we need to hear that again and again and again as we travel 00:34:40.139 --> 00:34:52.139 the path of Christian discipleship. Christ does not leave us alone on the journey of faith. He is with 00:34:52.139 --> 00:35:00.859 us. He will help us. He will stand with us. He will calm our fears. He will give us the words to say. 00:35:00.859 --> 00:35:10.119 He has promised this, and He will surely do it. And that's what will keep us going when things 00:35:10.139 --> 00:35:16.639 get tough, when problems arise. We remember that Jesus Christ is on the throne. We remember what 00:35:16.639 --> 00:35:22.659 He's done for us. We remember what He's promised us. We remember that He will be with us always. 00:35:24.739 --> 00:35:30.619 Again, the writer to the Hebrews, let us hold fast our confession, for we do not have a high priest 00:35:30.619 --> 00:35:38.379 who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses. What's he saying there? Jesus understands. 00:35:38.380 --> 00:35:47.740 Jesus has overcome. And so, if you belong to Jesus Christ, nothing can ultimately destroy you. 00:35:48.720 --> 00:35:55.720 The power of sin has been broken. Death itself has been defeated. The evil powers of this world have 00:35:55.720 --> 00:36:03.539 been conquered. Jesus Christ is Lord, and therefore in Him nothing can separate you from the love of God. 00:36:03.539 --> 00:36:13.579 God. And so, when the mood music in your life begins to change, perhaps to more somber tones, 00:36:14.239 --> 00:36:23.800 when the mood music of our culture feels darker and more ominous, what is the Christian disciple to do? 00:36:23.800 --> 00:36:32.880 What does Jesus tell us here? He says, live your life with an eternal perspective. He says, live your life 00:36:32.880 --> 00:36:40.800 conscious of God's care and love. Live your life publicly confessing Jesus as Lord. Don't be afraid 00:36:40.800 --> 00:36:50.240 to do that. Live your life holding on to the gospel of divine forgiveness. And live your life conscious 00:36:50.239 --> 00:36:57.799 that Christ is with you always in the power of the Holy Spirit. And that He will never leave you, 00:36:57.799 --> 00:37:13.279 never forsake you, and never abandon you. He will hold you fast. Do not be afraid. Let's pray together. 00:37:13.280 --> 00:37:29.860 Father, you know our situations, our circumstances, you know our fears and our worries. You know the opposition 00:37:29.860 --> 00:37:42.280 that we face, the troubles that come our way. Lord, help us in the midst of all of these to persevere in the way 00:37:42.280 --> 00:37:53.800 of faith. Help us to have an eternal perspective on these matters. Help us to live today in the light of that 00:37:53.800 --> 00:38:03.980 great tomorrow. Help us to know your care and love in our lives. Help us to speak up when we get the 00:38:03.980 --> 00:38:17.619 opportunity. Help us to know your life. Help us to know your life. Help us to know your life. Help us to 00:38:17.619 --> 00:38:28.460 lean upon the Lord Jesus and to draw from the Holy Spirit all that we need to remain faithful and true 00:38:28.460 --> 00:38:34.119 disciples of Christ. And we pray this in His name. Amen.