Luke 11:53-12:3 (3)

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-Let me encourage you to turn, one final time...

…to the eleventh chapter of Luke’s Gospel.

We’re going to be picking up in Verse 53...

…and working our way through Chapter 12:3.

And as we cross over into Chapter 12...

…we’ll be entering into a rather long subsection...

…wherein the focus is concentrated...

Less on the narrative of events...

More on Jesus’ teachings, themselves.

(If you have a Red Letter edition...

…a quick glance over the next chapter...

…will show you what I mean)

There’s a lot in it.

And Jesus begins it all, with...

A warning to his disciples...

...about the contagion of hypocrisy...

An exhortation for them to...

Fear God...

Rather than men!

(And, those two things...

…are more connected...

…than we might think)

So, we’ll look at the former, this morning...

And then, Lord-Willing, next week, the latter.

But first, we’ll begin...

…by reading the last two verses of chapter 11...

…which provide us with the details...

…that we need in order to...

...connect these teachings...

…with the proclamation of those Six Woes...

…that we’ve been looking at for the last two weeks.

(And they are very much connected)

-Alright… if everyone is there...

…let’s read it together...

…and we’ll go to the Lord in prayer.

This is the infallible Word of God:

Luke 11:53–12:3 (ESV)

53 As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things,

54 lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say.

1 In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

2 Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.

3 Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.

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Pray

-Let’s remind ourselves of the context...

…before we dive into Verse 53:

Remember:

Luke 11:37 (ESV)

37 … a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table.

And then:

Luke 11:38–39 (ESV)

38 The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner.

39 And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.

i.e., “you are hypocrites”

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Then he went on to issue 3 Woes against them...

All of which...

…in one way or another...

…called them out for this same root sin.

In Verse 42, it was the hypocrisy...

…of their selective Law Keeping.

(Show, don’t read)

Luke 11:42 (ESV)

42 “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.

In Verse 43, it was...

…their craving for the praise of men.

(Show, don’t read)

Luke 11:43 (ESV)

43 Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.

And Verse 44 had been the catch all, end all:

Let’s read over it again:

Luke 11:44 (ESV)

44 Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.”

(Implying that though they APPEARED to be...

…conduits of holiness for the people...

…in reality...

…they became a source of defilement for them)

-After this, a lawyer had interjected in protest...

…and Jesus pronounced 3 MORE Woes...

…this time, upon him and his:

He warned them of:

Their Oppressive Legalism (Verse 46)

Luke 11:46 (ESV)

46 And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.

Their blood guilt for all of the martyrs of the past (Verses 47-51)

Luke 11:47 (ESV)

47 Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed.

Luke 11:50 (ESV)

50 so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation,

(Why?)

(They killed the Son)

Their guilt for preventing the Law...

…from doing its rightful work...

…and pointing people to Jesus Christ (Verse 52)

Luke 11:52 (ESV)

52 Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.”

And that is where we left off, last week.

-Well, Verses 53-54 show us...

…how they responded to these warnings:

Luke 11:53 (ESV)

53 As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things,

NOT because they genuinely wanted answers...

Rather (Verse 54), they were...

Luke 11:54 (ESV)

54 lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say.

There’s a lot of depth...

…to the words in the Greek...

…that Luke uses, here.

But, I think for sake of time...

It will be most helpful...

...for us to simply read the Verses in the NKJV:

Luke 11:53–54 (NKJV)

53 … the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things,

54 lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.

And isn’t it telling, brethren...

That on the very heels of...

…Jesus accusing them of being complicit...

…in the murder of the prophets...

…that, they respond by IMMEDIATELY...

…beginning to plot His death?

This was the way they sought to handle dissent.

A little later on (after the Parable of the Vineyard)...

…they reacted the same way:

Luke 20:19–20 (ESV)

19 The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people.

20 So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor.

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(Thus (again) fulfilling the first prediction of that parable)

This is the way tyrants deal with dissenters.

They don’t interact with their arguments...

They don’t listen to their warnings...

They simply use their power...

…to silence them!

Mark and avoid such “leaders” . . .

Especially in the Church!

-Phillip Ryken summarizes the situation in our text, like this...

…and then he moves us forward into Chapter 12:

From this point on, he was in mortal danger from his enemies.

Eventually his disciples would be in danger, too. But rather than being afraid of what the Pharisees might do to their bodies, Jesus told them to watch out for their souls.

The real threat was spiritual… — Ryken

-Look at Verse 1:

Luke 12:1 (ESV)

1 In the meantime...

The NASB clarifies:

Luke 12:1 (NASB95)

1 Under these circumstances...

Luke 12:1 (ESV)

1 ...when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees...

-Now, before we examine...

…the nature of Jesus’ warning, here...

…notice that, once again...

…He is not swept away...

…by his popularity among the masses.

Unlike the Scribes and Pharisees...

…that wasn’t what He lived for.

And once again...

…as the crowds press in on him...

…He isn’t tempted to...

…ride the wave of popularity...

…into ministerial growth and success...

Rather, He takes that opportunity...

…to say some very hard...

…but very NEEDFUL things...

Things that are going to HURT His popularity...

…NOT, increase it!

(This is the fear of the Lord!)

(We need to learn from it!)

-Now, before he speaks to the larger crowd...

…He uses the Pharisees...

…as an object lesson...

…from which to warn His disciples.

And He uses imagery to do so...

…that would have been...

…easily recognized by these Jewish men:

Leaven!

Yeast!

Ryken, again explains:

In the Bible it is a common image for something small that spreads silently, almost secretly, but ultimately pervasively… — Ryken

Or, as Paul states it:

Galatians 5:9 (ESV)

9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump.

The imagery is used positively...

…in parables, like:

Luke 13:20–21 (ESV)

20 . . . “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?

21 It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”

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But, it was most often used in a negative sense.

And, that’s probably because of...

…its association with ceremonial defilement...

…during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

-So then, Jesus is saying, that...

…there’s something about the Pharisees...

That’s subtle

That comes in largely unnoticed

But, once it’s in...

It spreads like yeast...

Until it consumes the soul!

That’s a serious warning, isn’t it?

What is this silent and invisible killer?

Luke 12:1 (ESV)

1 . . . “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

That’s been Jesus’ predominant warning all along, hasn’t it?

Whitewashed Tombs

Unmarked Graves

Cleansing only the Outside of the Cup

Praying, Giving Alms, etc. to be seen by others

Mike McKinley says, in summary:

The heart of the Pharisees’ sin was hypocrisy; they presented an external picture that did not match their internal reality.

They polished the outside of the cup while the inside was filthy. — McKinley

Now, don’t overlook something, here.

To whom is Jesus giving THIS warning?

To His disciples!

And, what are we?

His disciples!

In that light, McKinley goes on:

Even though there are no longer any Pharisees, their yeast remains a spiritual threat.

Whenever Christians are tempted to pretend to be more holy than they are, whenever we are unwilling to confess sin and ask for help,

whenever we establish our own man-made rules as the standard for everyone’s holiness,

whenever we are comfortable with private sins so long as they do not come to light—in those situations the yeast of the Pharisees is present. — Mike McKinely

Want me to prove to you...

…how extant a threat it really is?

Galatians 2:11–13 (ESV)

11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.

12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party.

13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.

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This is how quickly and pervasively...

…that hypocrisy spreads!

We MUST “Beware of that Leaven”

It is a deadly cancer...

To the church

To our own souls.

-Furthermore… look at the...

...additional warning in Verse 2:

(Notice the tense of the verbs)

Luke 12:2 (ESV)

2 Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.

What’s He getting at?

Hypocrisy, in the end… is futile.

Why?

Because God is righteous and just...

And because He sees and knows all things.

He doesn’t step on an unmarked grave.

Why?

He knows what’s beneath!

He doesn’t drink from a cup...

…that is only outwardly cleansed.

Why?

He knows what’s inside!

And because He’s...

Righteous

Holy

Good...

He will, in the end...

Rip off every single mask of hypocrisy!

Solomon concluded the book of Ecclesiastes...

…with that very assertion:

Ecclesiastes 12:13–14 (ESV)

13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

The New Testament reiterates the same idea...

…over and over again:

The author of Hebrews wrote, that...

Hebrews 4:13 (ESV)

13 ...no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Paul, warned AND exhorted:

1 Timothy 5:24–25 (ESV)

24 The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later.

25 So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden.

He also gave it a more particular focus:

He said:

2 Corinthians 5:10 (ESV)

10 ...we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

And he said, that...

…when Christ returns, He will...

1 Corinthians 4:5 (ESV)

5 ...will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart....

It is inevitable.

Hypocrisy, can at best...

…benefit you in the present life.

But, as Ryken warns...

Even the sins that do not get exposed in this life will be revealed at the last judgment. We cannot hide them forever.

God is omniscient; he knows all things... There will be full disclosure.

It will all come to light: every proud conceit, petty theft, angry word, abusive blow, lustful fantasy, thought of self-pity, spin of the truth, and whisper of gossip. — Ryken

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-Now, with that sobering reminder in mind...

…look at the application Jesus makes in Verse 3:

(And notice whom He’s addressing)

Luke 12:3 (ESV)

3 Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light...

i.e., what you tried to conceal from some...

…will be revealed to all.

...and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.

That’s a daunting promise for us all, isn’t it?

Which one of us has not...

Been a Pharisee?

Played the hypocrite?

Gossiped about our neighbor?

Slandered an innocent person?

Sought to conceal our true self from others?

Sproul says this:

We all have secrets that would be profoundly embarrassing for others to be aware of.

To have our secret sins exposed, our weaknesses manifested publicly is terrifying.

But there is a day established, where God says that the truth will be revealed. Not only will our secret sins be manifested, but also our secret virtues...

But, then he reminds us of this hope:

But, if I did not know that on that day my nakedness will be covered by the righteousness of Christ, it would destroy me to have to face it.

But this is what God promises for his people: in that day of judgment those who are in Christ will be hidden.

His righteousness conceals our corruption. — R.C. Sproul

Let me show it to you...

…and we’ll be done:

Revelation 20:11–15 (ESV)

11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.

12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.

13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done.

14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.

15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Why?

Because their deeds were reckoned for...

…in accordance with the reality...

…that was recorded in the Divine book.

-But, isn’t everyone a sinner?

Absolutely!

So, why doesn’t everyone perish?

Because there’s another book!

And its mention in another place...

…helps us to understand how this all works together.

Revelation 13:8 (ESV)

8 ...all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.

What does that tell us?

The Lamb died that second death for us!

The punishment for our Hypocrisy...

...was poured out on the Lamb!

Every...

Slanderous word

Lustful thought

Malicious intent

All of it, was borne by HIM!

And Sproul says:

That’s why we cling to Christ.

Let’s Pray