Authentic Discipleship

Luke 12:1-12

Good morning! You can turn in your Bible to Luke 12:1-12. We are going to talk about authentic discipleship. Last week, we looked at the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. Jesus said to them, “Woe to you!” And the basic premise of Jesus’ charge against them is this: your inner life needs to match your outer life. The Pharisees were way more concerned about their outer appearance and Jesus looked right through them. He watched them. He saw how they lived. He witnessed their inconsistencies. He saw their failures. And my friends, I want to know, Jesus is watching. He sees what’s going on. And in Luke 12, he’s going to tell us in very plain terms what authentic faith is.

Let’s read beginning at v1.

Jesus faced a very large crowd. The people were trampling over one another. The size of the crowd used to fill a house, now it filled the streets. But despite the massive crowd, Jesus was focused on his disciples. Luke says in v1, “He began to say to his disciples first…” In other words, Jesus was aware of the crowd, but they weren’t his first concern. Jesus was committed to training up authentic disciples and that required resolute focus. To summarize, Jesus basically says, “If you want to be my disciple, don’t be a hypocrite, don’t fear man, and don’t be ashamed of me.” Everybody in the crowd heard what Jesus said. He put them all on notice. “I want authentic disciples not just a large crowd.” Let’s look at the first thing Jesus says about being an authentic disciple.

1) Watch out for Hypocrisy and Be Honest (v1-3).

Jesus says, “Be on guard…” (v1). Watch out for hypocrisy. He compares hypocrisy to leaven. Hypocrisy is the Pharisees main problem. Here’s the thing about leaven or yeast. It’s intoxicating! College paper illustration.

The illustration of leaven reveals how hypocrisy works. It grows. It expands. The dough rises. Jesus is saying the attitude of the Pharisees will do the same thing to you if you’re not careful. It will grow and grow. Hypocrisy has an insidious influence on us. So, we have to be on guard. We have to watch out for it. You have to know what it is so you can avoid it.

The Pharisees were legalists. And the problem with legalism is ultimately, that’s not how God desires to relate to us.

The Book of Jonah summarizes the sinful attitude of the Pharisees. Jonah was sent as a missionary to the city of Ninevah. A great, yet wicked city. They had committed great evil against Israel. Jonah hated them. He may have had family and friends killed by the people of Ninevah. It was one of the great cities in the Assyrian Empire.

But when Jonah preached against the city and the people repented, instead of praising God, Jonah complained, “I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live” (4:2-3).

That’s a clear depiction of a Pharisee. That’s hypocrisy. The problem begins with having a dishonest relationship with God. You think God owes you something. Maybe you think your view of justice should be God’s view of justice. And like Jonah, you are left disappointed when God acts in a way that doesn’t go along with your agenda. Jonah would rather die than see people experience mercy.

Here's the thing. God wants an relationship with you. But if you try to control God, you will be disappointed, because that’s not a relationship.

So, Jesus says, watch out for hypocrisy. Be alert. Be vigilant over your soul. You never stop looking for hypocrisy in your heart because it’s always lurking around the corner. And if you stop watching for it, like leaven, it will consume you.

The way to avoid hypocrisy is to be honest. Be completely honest with God. Look at v2-3 again.

“There is nothing covered that won’t be uncovered, nothing hidden that won’t be made known. Therefore, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in an ear in private rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops” (v2-3).

Jesus could not be clearer. You can’t hide anything from God. Any thoughts or feelings you have will be exposed. If your inner life doesn’t match your outer life, it will be revealed. What’s on the inside will come out. God knows every secret thing. So, if you don’t like God’s justice, tell him. He might not agree, but he will listen.

Take Jonah again. At the end of the story, God asked Jonah twice, “Why are you angry?” God knew why Jonah was angry. He wanted Jonah to know why Jonah was angry. Do you get that? The Book of Jonah doesn’t have a happy ending. It ends with Jonah’s anger. But here’s the wonderful thing about honesty. We have the Book of Jonah because of Jonah. He wrote the book as a confession of his disobedience, anger, pride, and ultimately, as a testimony of God’s incredible mercy. Jonah is a great example to us of what real honesty looks like. At some point, Jonah’s anger gave way to God’s mercy, and he shared his story. The same thing will happen for us when we confess our thoughts and feelings to God.

Now, you might ask, “How is this different from complaining?” Complaining doesn’t serve a purpose or accomplish anything. It’s like grumbling. Grumbling comes from a place of unbelief. That’s why you hate to hear people complain… because you know they’re not going to do anything about their problem.

Now, lamenting or mourning is what God calls us to do. It serves a purpose. The Puritan who was robbed in 1641. It’s different when someone is resolved to find a solution. You see, an authentic disciple seeks God in suffering. You pray. You confess. You seek wise counsel. You lament and mourn. That’s why Jesus says, “blessed are those who mourn” (Matt 5:4), and why Paul says, “weep with those who weep” (Rom 12:15). That’s not complaining or grumbling. That’s admitting brokenness. It’s admitting you need God. It’s admitting you live in a broken world than desperately needs saving. Jesus promised those who mourn will be comforted.

If you want to know God, get honest with him. This is the point of breakthrough… where strongholds come down. Confronting your inner Pharisee with godly honesty show you are an authentic disciple.

The second thing Jesus says about being an authentic disciple is…

2) Fear God Not Man (v4-7).

I talked about this a few weeks ago. I mentioned a book titled “When People are Big and God is Small” by David Welch.

Jesus begins by saying in v4, “my friends, don’t fear…” The language of friendship is intended to bring comfort for what he’s going to say in v8-12. He’s preparing them for future persecution. And to that, he says, “don’t fear those who kill the body, and after than can do nothing more” (v4).

Have you ever been barked at by a little dog? No offense if you have a small dog. But if there’s a real threat, they can’t do much. Jesus is basically saying, “don’t fear people who flex their power and authority to try to harm you. They’re like little dogs. Their threats seem big, but only God is big.” Our fear should be directed to the one “who has authority to throw people into hell after death” (v5). That’s who we should fear!

Now, the fear Jesus speaks of is not the scary kind. He’s talking about revering God. Like David did when he stood up to Goliath. He said, “who is this uncircumcised Philistine who defies the armies of the living God?” (1 Sam 17:26). David confronted Goliath, not because he was big and strong, but because his God was big.

We should revere Jesus Christ in the same way. The threats of men should not change our convictions or cause us to waiver in faith. Listen to what Peter says to the persecuted church, “Even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened. But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord” (1 Peter 3:14-15).

Peter was talking to Christians who were likely facing death threats. We don’t live in the same context. There are Christians around the world who face similar threats. Praise the Lord we don’t. At least not yet. But we do face sinful people. And I don’t want to minimize that because some people are so given over to sin that they become abusive. They try to manipulate you. They verbally assault you. Maybe they have been physically violent. And you might think to yourself, “I’ll just do what they say again… I’m tired of dealing with them.” People who use fear and intimidation to control others are some of the smallest people in the world. Yet they seem so big to you.

Any person who threatens you with words or violence needs to be confronted. If it’s physical violence, you need outside help. You need a safe place. That’s the starting point. And this shouldn’t have to be said, but if you have been physically violent towards your spouse, STOP IT! And I mean now. Repent and never do it again. If you can’t control your anger, then you need to get help. But you don’t take your anger out on people who don’t deserve it.

If you are constantly walking on eggshells because of verbal or emotional abuse, don’t be a fake peacemaker. Stand your ground. You are made in the image of God. Jesus bought you with his precious blood. No one should tolerate abusive behavior, but sometimes we do because we don’t understand our value and worth. Jesus said, “Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight. Indeed, the hairs of your head are all counted. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (v6-7).

Do you hear that? A sparrow was a cheap meal for poor. It was small bird worth almost nothing. Yet, God knew every sparrow in the sky. You are valuable to God. He knows every hair on your head. You are eternally valuable to him. Listen, I know this can be hard to hear, but Christians need to hear this stuff. Fearing God is foundational to having authentic faith. In our therapeutic age nobody talks like this, but Jesus is basically saying “if you want to follow me, you can’t fear abusive people.” Don’t let people bully you. You are worth more than that.

This ties into the third thing Jesus says about authentic discipleship…

3) Acknowledge Christ Publicly and Unashamedly (v8-12).

Authentic disciples have a very public and unashamed faith. The reason we baptize people in front of the whole church is because Christianity is a public faith. It’s for all the world to see. Your faith is not a private matter like our culture tries to suggest. No, we are marked publicly by the waters of baptism. Paul says in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel…”

What Jesus says in v8-12 is difficult. There’s no getting around it. That’s why he talked about the fear of man in v4-7. He was preparing his disciples for this moment. Jesus wanted them to know that if they didn’t fear the threats of men, then they would be ready, by the help of Holy Spirit, to proclaim the name of Jesus when their faith was put on trial before the religious leaders. Jesus foretells the events of Acts. James and John were put on trial before the Sanhedrin. Paul faced trial all the way up to the courts of Rome. And in every court these men declared the gospel of Jesus Christ unashamedly.

To apply this to us and the church at large, persecution is the truest test of authentic faith. Jesus is no fool. He knew the threat of death would certainly cause fear for some. And many would be tempted to turn away from Christ. The biblical term for this is apostasy.

The threat of persecution has always challenged the church. Jesus warned about it. Paul exhorted Christians to stand firm in the middle of it. Peter, James, and John did the same. The writer of Hebrews talks about the dangers of apostasy more than any other.

But Jesus is saying you basically have two options. “Acknowledge me before others and be acknowledged before the angels of God or deny me and be denied before the angels of God.” He’s talking about the heavenly assembly who exists to worship God. Revelation 4:11-13 gives us a peek into the heavenly realm. John says… Read v11-13.

Do you want to be apart of that glorious reality? Well, acknowledge Christ publicly. If you deny him, the angels of God don’t want you around because they exist for one reason and one reason only and it’s to worship the Lamb of God!

I know the threats of men are real. I know abusive people want to bring you down, but our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of world sits on the throne and he is worthy of our worship. And if we see him rightly, the threats of persecution will not stop us from declaring his name.

Jesus says, “Whenever they bring you before synagogues and rulers and authorities, don’t worry about how you should defend yourselves or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what must be said.” As I just mentioned, this is about the persecution in the Book of Acts. But to apply this to ourselves. Listen. If you decide in your heart that you want to revere God over fearing men, the Holy Spirit will give you the words to say at the right time. You don’t have to worry. For us, Jesus’ warning about persecution is just like a warning to all of us that we will face trials of various kinds. But if you revere Christ as Lord in your heart, you will stand firm when trials come. You will stand firm against a person who threatens you.

Let’s pray.