Luke 12:8-9

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-If you would, please turn in your Bibles...

…back to Luke 12.

I think it is wonderful, that...

…Providence has so arranged our affairs...

…that we have made our way...

To this particular text

On this particular day.

I say that because...

…it has great relevance to baptism.

-Now, don’t let me confuse you by saying that.

The text doesn’t mention baptism, outright.

But, it does center around...

...one of the primary purposes...

…that baptism serves:

Professing to the World...

Your Faith in Christ

And your Commitment to Him and to His people.

We often refer to it as: “Making the Good Confession”

-And what our text shows us this morning...

…is that it is a very serious, yet very necessary...

…thing for us to do.

-Alright, let’s read our text...

…beginning in Verse 8.

This is the Word of the Lord:

Luke 12:8–12 (ESV)

8 “And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God,

9 but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God.

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Pray

-What we just read...

…is (basically) an extension of...

...what we saw last week in Verses 4-5.

Let’s read them again...

…to be reminded:

Luke 12:4–5 (ESV)

4 “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do.

5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!

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In other words:

Fear God

Not men!

Even though “your body they may kill”

Do you remember all of that?

-Well, look back down at Verse 8.

And, notice the connective language...

…that Luke uses at the beginning.

He simply continues on:

Luke 12:8 (ESV)

8 “And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God,

-Now, there’s a lot to unpack in that.

First of all, who is speaking?

Jesus, right?

That’s pretty obvious.

So, what does He mean when He says:

Luke 12:8 (ESV)

8 “...everyone who acknowledges me...

He’s talking about...

…those who publicly profess...

Their belief in Christ

And allegiance to Him and His Kingdom

In fact, most translations say something, like:

Luke 12:8 (NASB95)

8 ...everyone who confesses Me before men...

It’s an interesting word in the original:

Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Confess, Confession)

1. homologeo (ὁμολογέω, 3670), lit., “to speak the same thing” (homos, “same,” lego, “to speak”), “to assent, accord, agree with.

So, it’s deeper than just a belief...

…that’s you’re holding in isolation.

It’s a public aligning of yourself...

…with a previously declared truth.

Here, for the present...

…it would be openly declaring...

…your agreement that Jesus was/is...

…exactly who He claimed to be.

It also carries the idea of...

…identifying yourself with others...

…who affirm the same things to be true.

-Let me show you a couple of familiar...

…(and very applicable) uses of the word:

1 Timothy 6:12 (NKJV)

12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

A Verb and a Noun of the same root word.

Do you see the corporate and communal aspect to that?

Romans 10:8–11 (ESV)

8 . . . “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);

9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

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What’s my point?

True faith… is a professing faith!

True faith… is a confessing faith!

And only true faith...

…leads to justification.

Let me prove it to you, further:

John 12:42–43 (ESV)

42 Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue;

43 for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.

Does that sound like...

…the description of a true believer?

Indeed not!

And, it lines up perfectly...

…with what Jesus goes on to say in our text:

(I’m going to read it in the NASB)

Luke 12:8 (NASB95)

8 … I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God;

Now that nuanced definition...

…is starting to come more into focus, isn’t it?

There’s a reciprocation that’s implied.

And notice, that...

…He goes from the 1st person pronoun “Me” . . .

…to describing himself by...

…his prophetic Messianic title!

What’s the purpose in that?

To show an elevation in degree.

In other words...

If “You” — Fallen sinners of earth...

“Confess Me” — in my present state of humility (the incarnation)

“Before men” — Before other fallen sinners like yourselves...

…you affirm my truth claims..

And, if you do that...

When I'm enthroned as “the Son of Man” . . .

I’ll “confess you” — (I’ll agree with your claim to be one of my subjects) . . .

Before “the angels of God!”

(Most likely this is a reference to the day of Judgment)

For example:

Matthew 25:31–32 (ESV)

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.

32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

Matthew 25:46 (ESV)

46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

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So, the promise is, that...

…if you confess Him now...

Before a hostile and unbelieving world...

Before those who may harm you because of it...

If you align yourself publicly with Him now...

Then, on THAT day...

…He will confess and align himself WITH YOU!

-And that’s not even the full extent of it.

If you can imagine...

…there’s an even greater testimony...

...that he promises us, in return:

Matthew 10:32 (NASB95)

32 “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.

Look at the way Philip Ryken...

... puts those two threads together:

When we stand before God for judgment, all of our secrets will be revealed. We will be condemned by the law, condemned by our sin, and condemned by Satan himself.

But if we confess Christ, then the very Son of God will rise to our defense.

He will testify that we belong to him by faith.

He will claim that through his death on the cross he has taken our shame upon himself and fearlessly paid the full penalty for our sin.

He will plead for his Father to declare us righteous in his sight.

And he will win our case, because his appeal will be based on God’s own justice and mercy.

The very justice of God will demand our justification. — Ryken

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Brethren, is that worth...

Getting made fun of for a few years on earth?

Losing your job over?

Giving up your earthly freedom?

Forfeiting your earthly life?

Amen!

It’s worth everything!

It is a glorious and gracious offer...

…extended to us by the Son of Man.

-But, it’s more than just an offer...

It is an obligation.

An obligation that has grave consequences...

…if it isn’t met.

Look at Verse 9:

Luke 12:9 (ESV)

9 but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God.

Here, the word can mean to “repudiate,” or “disown” someone

It’s the antonym of the word behind “confess” or “acknowledge”

And, here’s something interesting:

The first word “denies” . . .

(referring to the denial of Jesus by men)

…is the common form of the word.

The second word “will be denied” . . .

(Referring to Jesus’ denial of...

…those that first denied Him)

…is a compound form of the word...

…that indicates an UTTER denial.

So, you see...

…just as Jesus’ confession of His confessors...

…was greater than their confession of Him...

So too, will His denial of His deniers...

…be greater and more absolute.

You see, the threat is being given...

…with the same impetus...

…as the promise.

Why?

Because there’s only one way...

And Jesus is that way!

John 14:6 (ESV)

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

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-Now, lest we think that...

…this is an isolated idea...

…that is being taken out of context...

…and is incompatible with the notions of grace...

…let me do another quick survey of passages...

…just to show you how prominent the theme is:

Matthew 10:33 (ESV)

33 ...whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

Earthly denial of Jesus = Heavenly denial of you

1 John 2:23 (ESV)

23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.

Paul wrote:

2 Timothy 2:11–12 (ESV)

11 The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him;

12 if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us;

Mark 8:35–38 (ESV)

35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.

36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?

37 For what can a man give in return for his soul?

38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

J.C. Ryle said this:

The difficulty of confessing Christ is undoubtedly very great. It never was easy at any period. It never will be easy as long as the world stands.

It is sure to entail on us laughter, ridicule, contempt, mockery, enmity, and persecution.… The world which hated Christ will always hate true Christians.

But whether we like it or not, whether it be hard or easy, our course is perfectly clear. In one way or another Christ must be confessed. — Ryle

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-Now, someone is probably thinking:

“What about Peter?”

“What about those who temporarily denied Christ...

…to avoid being burned alive or fed to lions...

…but then later repented?”

Let me give you just one...

…amongst many examples of this...

…that actually occured throughout...

…the history of the church:

It happened to a man named Thomas Cranmer :

One man who struggled to have the courage of his Christian convictions was Thomas Cranmer, the famous archbishop of Canterbury and author of the Book of Common Prayer. Cranmer was at the forefront of the English Reformation, and served Christ faithfully for many years.

But when Bloody Mary took the throne, the Roman Catholic Church condemned Cranmer to die. He was forced to watch in anguish as his friends Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley were burned at the stake in the center of Oxford.

For a time Cranmer faltered. Fearing the pains of his body more than the authority of his God, he recanted his faith in the gospel. He did this, writes one of his biographers, because he saw “the poignant contrast between the pleasant prospect of life and the vivid horror of an agonizing death.”

Happily, on the eve of his execution, Cranmer’s courage returned. He repented of his sin and retracted all his recantations. As he looked to eternity, he realized that he feared God more than he feared the queen of England or the fiery pains of death. And by the help of the Holy Spirit, Cranmer went to his death making one last courageous confession of his faith in Jesus Christ.

In his farewell remarks he exhorted people “to care less for this world and more for God and the world to come,” and not to fear the queen, but only the power of God.” — REC

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Do we agree with this assessment?

Is it compatible with...

…what is stated so absolutely in our text?

-Well, I don’t think...

…that it’s an easy question to answer.

But, to attempt to do so...

…we must let scripture interpret scripture.

On the one hand we have sayings like this:

Luke 9:62 (ESV)

62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

On the other hand...

…we have what happened with Peter and the disciples:

Matthew 26:31 (ESV)

31 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night....

“stumble” (Skandalidzo)

Matthew 26:33–35 (ESV)

33 Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.”

34 Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”

35 Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.

But...

Matthew 26:56–58 (ESV)

56 . . . all the disciples left him and fled.

58 ...Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end.

They passed judgment:

Matthew 26:66 (ESV)

66 . . . “He deserves death.”

Matthew 26:69–75 (ESV)

69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.”

70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.”

71 And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

72 And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.”

73 After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.”

74 Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed.

75 And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

Brethren, are you damned if you have EVER once...

Denied Christ?

Been ashamed of Him?

Been ashamed of His Word?

By the grace of God… Not Necessarily!

With repentance… There CAN be forgiveness… of even that!

But, we need to be EXTREMELY careful with that.

We had better not:

Play with that fire

Presume upon the opportunity to repent

Presume upon the extension of His grace.

(He isn’t obligated to offer it)

But, that being forewarned...

…it does appear to me, that...

…a moment of temporary denial...

…brought about by weakness and fear...

…is not necessarily...

...the same thing as outright apostasy.

(But those are divided by a blurry line...

…that we had better stay far away from)

The Bible describes apostasy...

…in terms like this:

Hebrews 6:4–6 (ESV)

4 For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit,

5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come,

6 and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.

So, it seems obvious to me...

…that what Peter did...

…fell short of that.

He didn’t outright defect from the faith...

He didn’t blaspheme the Holy Spirit (next week)...

He just cowered in fear and self-preservation.

(And it grieved his soul when he did)

His faith faltered...

But it didn’t fail!

I’ll prove that to you:

Remember what Jesus had told him...

…before it all happened?

Luke 22:31–32 (ESV)

31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat,

32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

You see, the Lord extended grace to Peter.

He allowed him the gift of repentance.

And He made sure that everyone understood that, without question:

John 21:15–19 (ESV)

15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”

16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”

17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.

18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.”

19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

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Here’s how we make application:

1. Are you trusting Christ...

…but have not confessed Him publicly?

Repent and be Baptized in His name...

…for all the world to see.

And then “feed his sheep” (serve His church/people)

(Baptism isn’t individualistic)

(It connects you to His church)

2. Have you denied him before men after your baptism?

Repent and seek His forgiveness and your restoration

Confess Him with even more fervency then you ever did before!

“Feed His sheep”

3. Have you consistently confessed him...

By Word and Deed...

…Throughout the entirety of your Christian life?

Great!

Praise God!

Thank Him for that ability...

Pray that He will continue to hold you fast!

Continue to “feed His sheep”

Let’s Pray.