Luke 12:10-12

********** Start Timer **********

-We’re going to be back in Luke 12, this morning.

And as always, I would encourage you...

…to follow along in your own Bibles.

We really began this section last week in Verses 8-9...

…but there was so much in those verses...

…that we didn’t have the time...

…to interact with the three verses...

…that we’ll be looking at today.

And, it may not seem like it, at first glance…

But, when we look at these verses closely...

…we’re going to see that they...

are explicitly connected to to the previous verses

continue to work out...

… that same fundamental principle from Verses 4-5.

-Alright, Hopefully you’re there by now.

Let’s read it together...

…beginning in Verse 8...

…and go to the Lord for help.

This is the holy and inspired Word of God.

Luke 12:4–12 (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.

10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

11 And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say,

12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

Click Off

Pray

-So far in this longer section...

…the primary, underlying, over-arching theme...

…has remained...

The Fear of the Lord

And last week we saw that theme...

…being applied to the necessity...

…of our public confession of Christ.

Well, this morning’s verses (as I’m sure you saw)...

…still carry that same theme forward...

…But, they do so with a more specific focus.

If you’ll notice, in both...

The warning in Verse 10

The consolation in Verse 12

…there’s a particular focus being given to...

The person and work of the Holy Spirit...

And our Response to… and Reliance upon… Him.

-Also, in addition to that...

…you’ll notice a continued emphasis being placed...

…upon our words and speech.

Remember how central that had been…

…to verses 8-9 from last week:

Luke 12:8–9 (NASB95)

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

9 but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.

And that’s the first connection that we see...

…when we get to Verse 10:

Luke 12:10 (ESV)

10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man...

Now, before we read on...

…remember what He has just said:

Those who confess me...

I will also confess.

Those who disown me...

I will also disown.

And, then he says something surprising (if you think about it):

Luke 12:10 (ESV)

10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven...

Now, at first glance...

…this doesn’t seem to be carrying forward...

…the force of Verse 9, does it?

“If you deny Christ, he will deny you”

“But, if you only speak evil of/revile him...

…he will forgive you?”

What’s more confusing than that...

…is what he goes on to say next:

Luke 12:10 (ESV)

10 ...everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

Calvin asks an important question, here:

Why is it said that he who blasphemes against the Spirit is a more heinous sinner than he who blasphemes against Christ?

Is it because the majesty of the Spirit is greater, that a crime committed against him must be punished with greater severity?

Certainly that is not the reason; for as the fulness of the Godhead (Col. 2:9) shines in Christ, he who pours contempt upon him overturns and destroys, as far as it lies in his power, the whole glory of God… — Calvin

Colossians 2:9 (ESV)

9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,

Click Off

That tells us that the difference...

…CAN’T be attributed to any differences...

…in the nature of the two divine persons...

So, what is the cause for the difference, then?

Well, it seems to me that...

…there are two elements to that:

1.) A qualitative difference in the nature of the sin.

2.) The nature of the Holy Spirit’s work.

Let me flesh those out a bit.

-Let’s begin with the nature of the sin.

One of the prominent themes of Scripture...

…is that the more light you sin against...

…the greater is your guilt.

For example:

Numbers 15:27–31 (ESV)

27 “If one person sins unintentionally, he shall offer a female goat a year old for a sin offering.

28 And the priest shall make atonement before the Lord for the person who makes a mistake, when he sins unintentionally, to make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven.

30 But the person who does anything with a high hand . . . reviles the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from among his people.

31 Because he has despised the word of the Lord and has broken his commandment, that person shall be utterly cut off; his iniquity shall be on him.”

Paul affirmed this principle about his own life:

1 Timothy 1:13 (ESV)

13 ...formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief,

-Now, here’s how that connects...

…to our second difference...

2. (The nature of the work of the Holy Spirit):

We read this one time before:

It’s from Daniel Doriani

The distinction between blasphemy against Jesus (forgivable) and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (unforgivable) rests upon the work of the Holy Spirit.

He convicts of sin and testifies that Jesus is Son of God and Savior.

Jesus says someone can reject Jesus, and God will forgive if he repents and believes...

Sins of ignorance, however severe, are pardonable. Remember, Paul blasphemed and persecuted the church, but God had mercy on him because he sinned in ignorance (1 Tim. 1:12–17).

Likewise, many Jews who participated in the crucifixion did not understand what they were doing, and eventually repented (Luke 23:34; Acts 2; cf. Acts 7:60).

Blasphemy against the Spirit is the sober, clear-minded, deliberate rejection of Jesus—as a very agent of evil—despite full knowledge of his work and in the face of the Spirit’s full testimony to him. — Doriani

Do you remember the warning...

…that we read on Sunday night from Hebrews 2?

Hebrews 2:1–4 (ESV)

1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.

2 For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution,

3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard,

4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit...

Click Off

(Elaborate)

So, there’s a sense in which...

…no one living today can commit this exact sin:

Because Jesus and His apostles...

…are no longer going about...

…performing signs and wonders on the earth.

However, there is also a very real sense...

…in which those living today...

...most certainly still can!

Think about it:

Does the Holy Spirit still testify of Jesus today?

Through the Word of God

Through his testimony of that word...

...to the consciences of men

And, even today...

…if His testimony is reviled...

…it takes you down a path to destruction!

Look at what Herman Bavinck said about it.

He said, that the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, is...

...a sin against the Gospel in its clearest revelation, …

not in doubting or simply denying the truth, but in a denial which goes against the conviction of the intellect, against the enlightenment of conscience, against the dictates of the heart;

in a conscious, willful, and intentional imputation to the influence and working of Satan of that which is clearly recognized as God’s work, …

in a willful declaration that the Holy Ghost is the Spirit of the abyss, that truth is a lie, and that Christ is Satan himself. — Bavinck

This is the type of sin...

...that Stephen was describing at his trial.

He had told them:

Acts 7:48–49 (ESV)

48 ...the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, as the prophet says,

49 “ ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest?

And then he said:

Acts 7:50–54 (ESV)

51 “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.

52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered,

53 you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”

54 Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him.

Brethren, this is not a sin that a regenerate Christian commits.

Why?

Because the Spirit of God dwells within them

Because he has circumcised their hearts...

And written His law upon it!

Remember the promise of the New Covenant:

Ezekiel 36:25–27 (ESV)

25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.

26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

And remember what Jesus said...

…about the role of the Holy Spirit, in...

John 16:7–13 (ESV)

7 ...I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.

8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment...

13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth...

John gave this litmus test...

1 John 4:6 (ESV)

6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

The Spirit of God...

Binds the Christian’s heart to the Word of God

(Click Off)

-Now, that provides us with a helpful segue...

…into our last two verses:

And again… our themes going forward, are:

The Fear of the Lord

The Work of the Holy Spirit

Our own word and testimony.

Verse 11.

(notice the connective language)

Luke 12:11 (ESV)

11 And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities...

For what?

To be tried for their faith!

Remember the warnings that He had given them before:

Matthew 10:17–20 (ESV)

17 Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues,

18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake...

And in another place...

… he told them this about the future:

Mark 13:9–13 (ESV)

9 “...be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake...

12 And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death.

13 And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake...

Now, the warning in our text...

…seems to be more a little more generic...

(which, in one sense is MORE foreboding)

(i.e., it won’t be delimited to a particular epoch of time)

And yet, he says (in all three contexts):

Luke 12:11 (ESV)

11 ...do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say,

Now, let’s think about that for a second...

…before we read on.

He’s telling them:

You can expect to be arrested

You can expect to be put on trial

You can expect have your life be put on the line

But, don’t fret over it.

Don’t put any thought into...

…how you’re going to defend yourself.

Is that a call to faith?

What could give someone...

…that much assurance?

It isn’t self-confidence...

It’s quite the opposite

Look at Verse 12.

Luke 12:11–12 (ESV)

11 ...do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say,

12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

“ought” = must or necessary

Look at how he said it elsewhere:

Matthew 10:19–20 (ESV)

19 When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour.

20 For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Luke 21:14–15 (ESV)

14 Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer,

15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.

Ryken says this:

God fulfilled this promise.

Every time the apostles appeared in court, they had another opportunity to proclaim the gospel. We see this again and again in the book of Acts.

The apostles fearlessly preached in the power of the Spirit, and many people were saved through their ministry. — Ryken

Notice how Luke was...

…careful to emphasize this:

Acts 4:5–8 (ESV)

5 On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem...

7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”

8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them...

Acts 4:13 (ESV)

13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

Acts 6:8–10 (ESV)

8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people.

9 Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen.

10 But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.

Click Off

-So, is this a promise for us today?

Yes and No

Technically (I lean toward not)

In essence: (it’s possible)

But, here’s what I’m sure of...

...that it is NOT.

I'm certain that it is NOT telling gospel ministers...

…to forsake the hard work of studying the word...

…and just expect the Holy Spirit...

…to channel Himself through them.

Remember what Paul told Timothy:

2 Timothy 2:15 (NASB95)

15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

There’s effort implied in that

There’s a striving for the truth

And an effort to avoid error

-So then, how is the promise applicable today?

Well, I suspect that the essence of the promise...

…ought to comfort us...

…as we’re called upon to...

Preach

Teach

Evangelize

…without having adequate time for preparation available.

But, I suspect that in the greatest sense, it would be...

… that the Spirit of God...

…will keep and sustain us...

…and help us to be able to glorify Him...

…AS WE FACE MARTYRDOM!

I love what Cyril of Jerusalem wrote in the 4th century:

If “no man can say ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except in the Holy Spirit,” will any man give his life for Jesus’ sake except through the Holy Spirit? — CATECHETICAL LECTURES 16.21.1

(That’ my suspicion, anyway)

-Either way, Peter tells us plainly...

…what our disposition of heart...

…must be today:

1 Peter 3:13–18 (ESV)

13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?

14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled,

15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.

17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.

18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God...

He suffered and died to for us...

To redeem us from our slavery to sin and Satan

To save us from eternal destruction.

Should we not, then...

…live and die for Him?

Should we not, then...

…spend and be spent...

…for His glory?

Indeed we should.

Let’s pray