The Power and Danger of Integrity

Scripture Introduction:

We will be in Luke 12 this morning, it serves as a bit of a transition. As we read this passage I will tell you that there are some things here that might trip you up when you first hear them. But I want to encourage us not to lose the forest for the trees here.

Imagine that you are a disciple in the first century. You’ve been following Jesus for a little bit now…not terribly long but long enough to be in the know. But that dinner party you just went to was really heated. Jesus was really calling out the religious leaders of his day—and that’s scary, right. What is that going to mean for them? Wouldn’t you want their approval instead of their disdain?

And they’ve been making their displeasure more obvious in recent days. You can tell that they are “lying in wait to try to catch Jesus in something he will say.” Stuff is tense. It’s far different than what it was when you first set out on this journey. He was the healer. There was hope. You didn’t sense nearly as much opposition. Now opposition just seems to be everywhere....lots of speed bumps.

But at the same time there are also tons of crowds around you. In fact so many that people are starting to get trampled. They are dangerous in their own way....but, man, look at all these people who have come to listen?

What are some of the unique temptations that you might be experiencing in this moment? If you’re like me you probably don’t even realize the temptations in a moment like this. Thankfully Jesus does. And in our text this morning he turns to his disciples…crowds approaching—Pharisees waiting in the wings—and he encourages them. I pray it’s an encouragement for us as well.

Luke 12:1–12 ESV

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. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 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. “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. 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! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows. “And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. 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. 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, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

Sermon Introduction:

At first glance I thought there might be three things that Jesus was telling his disciples. Watch out for the Pharisees leaven, fear God and not people, acknowledge Christ before men. But as I kept pouring over this passage I realized that something else is happening here. I think it’s really only one major point.

There are two big questions that led me here. First, why does Luke mention the crowds. Why mention them trampling? If he wants to say there were quite a few people he could have done that. It’s not strange for the gospel writers to give summaries and let us know that the Jesus movement is growing. But this is doing something different. The crowds aren’t necessarily safe. And so why does Luke frame it that way right here? Why does he have Jesus…with crowds closing in…people getting trampled…why does he tell us “he began to say to his disciples...”?

Secondly, why does Jesus go from talking about integrity to talking about fear? What is the connection between these two?

What is happening here is that Jesus knows the temptation that such a crowd brings. In fact he has already spoken about this back in chapter 11. “Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.” The Pharisees love the crowds. They love the popularity. They love the attention. They love to be “it”.

But that’s not just a Pharisee problem. It’s a people problem. Who hasn’t known of a leader who was changed by fame or popularity? Who hasn’t heard of churches who lose their identity because of the draw of the big crowd?

It’s not new to us either. John Newton wrote on this 250 years ago. He was speaking to a young pastor about the snare not of the difficulty of ministry but of success.

But, alas! you cannot yet know what dangers popularity will expose you. It is like walking upon ice. When you shall see an attentive congregation hanging upon your words: when you shall hear the well-meant, but often injudicious commendations, of those to whom the Lord shall make you useful: when you shall find, upon a notice of your preaching in a different place, people thronging from all parts to hear you—how will your heart feel?

It’s like fire and gunpowder says Newton:

…they cannot meet without an explosion, at least not unless the gunpowder is kept very damp. So, unless the Lord is constantly moistening our hearts (if I may so speak) by the influences of his Spirit, popularity will soon set us in a blaze! You will hardly find a person, who has been exposed to this fiery trial, without suffering loss.

Friends, this isn’t just the “big crowds” that are trampling which gives this temptation. It can be a room as small as 3 people. It can even be a desire for what you don’t have. There is a certain temptation which comes from the trampling crowds…and there is a temptation (one which has driven the church for years now) to BE that church with the trampling crowd.

And it’s like fire and gunpowder. We’re seeing the explosion with the Pharisees in Luke 11 and 12. They are losing the crowd. And that might be part of their anger at the present moment. They are jealous of the crowds that Jesus is attracting. But that’s going to serve as a big temptation to the disciples as well.

I think that is the point of this text—> Crowds make hypocritical Pharisees. So watch out that the leaven of the Pharisees doesn’t creep into your heart. What is that leaven? It’s hypocrisy. Be a person of integrity. Always. That is what Jesus is saying to the disciples. And I think in this text it tells us what that looks like. So let’s get to work unwrapping this.

Hypocrisy and Integrity

v2 Beware the leaven of the Pharisees…which is hypocrisy. Now what is leaven…this illustration would have been far more obvious to the original audience. Leaven is something that is small, quiet, undetected at first, but eventually it works its effect through the entire bit of bread. So what is that imperceptible thing that resides within the Pharisees?

Jesus says it is hypocrisy. It is to create a public impression that is at odds with who you really are. It is to play-act. Christians are accused of being hypocrites often. That charge might stick on some occasions…but there is a difference between being inconsistent and being a hypocrite.

Let’s say that I truly believe it is morally wrong to eat ice cream. I even tell other people it is wrong to eat ice cream. But I love ice cream and I eat a bowl every night. Is that hypocrisy?

We don’t know yet. It might be that I’m addicted to ice cream, and I’m going to confess to everyone that when I went to Braum’s last night I had a luscious caramel milk shake…filled with…oh the humanity…vanilla ice cream. That’s actually not hypocrisy as much as it is inconsistency. I’m not living as I want to live.

But what if I never told you about my caramel milk shake? What if publicly I said things like, “I haven’t had an ice cream in 15 years. Ice cream is the stuff of devils.” Well, now THAT is hypocrisy. Who you are in private does not match who you are in public. That is the definition of hypocrisy. And so that’s why something like confession is the antidote to hypocrisy. It’s part of what it means to live in integrity. Because we are going to have times of inconsistency. Times of sin. Times when we fall. But if we are keeping those secret…all the while publicly pretending like this isn’t our struggle…then this is the leaven of which Jesus spoke.

Notice verse 2 and 3. Covering. Hiding. Speaking in the dark. Whispering in Private Rooms. Those things are going to be exposed. Who you are in secret will eventually be made evident. Who you really are will show itself.

Now what does that mean? When does that happen?

The text itself doesn’t say. I think there is certainly some hint (the future tense to this) that might point to standing before God and being exposed. I think that could be defended by what Jesus says in verse 5 and how he starts talking about things like eternal destinies.

But I also think it might be just a general principle in life as well. Who you are is eventually going to come out. It’s not going to stay hidden forever. Habits…what you reap…will eventually reveal itself in character. Who you really are is going to show up.

There is also a potentially positive element to this as well. I think as a general rule in the Scriptures that which is hidden, found in the dark, and whispered about are the shame-inducing things. The darkness is the place of shame. But what if…what if you are being persecuted and slandered and people are thinking that who you really are isn’t something that is true of you. What if your integrity is what will shine forth?

Who you really are is going to be revealed? Does that invoke terror or a bit of relief? Our honest answer to that is telling.

I don’t know if it is to you…but the transition from verse 3-4 seems a bit disconnected on first reading. He’s talking about integrity and then he moves straight to fear. Is this point 2? Or is this connected differently? He’s talking about integrity…everything will be revealed and then he says, “don’t fear those who kill the body...” Why is he saying that here?

For one, keep in mind that you have crowds trampling people. It’s a dangerous setting. And keep in mind also that Luke has just told us that the Pharisees were plotting how to trap Jesus. It’s clear they want him gone. Do you think it possible that the disciples are beginning to fear the direction that this thing is going?

Are they potentially afraid of losing the appeal of the crowd? What if the crowd turns on Jesus…and then on them…like the Pharisees? This is dangerous stuff. They could end up killed here. And so what might that tempt you to do.

You might BELIEVE one thing. You might view the world one way. You might believe that Jesus is who he says he is…but you aren’t about to make that public. You aren’t going to do something to upset the masses…you aren’t going to do something to upset the religious leaders of the day. You don’t want to rock the boat.

Fear of the crowds is what creates Pharisees. Worrying about public opinion is what causes them to not be people of integrity. I think that is what Jesus is warning the disciples of. Remember the leaven. It’s tiny…you can’t even see it…and yet it works through and impacts the entire lump.

Fear God and not man. That is what Jesus is saying in verses 4-5. If that is the governing principle of your life then you won’t be tossed to and fro by the crowds. Then you can live a life of integrity. I mean think about it. Why would we fake it? What would keep us from living a life of confession? What would make us not be people of truth?

What would you think if I said, “We’ve discovered your diary and those things whispered in secret are going to be displayed on our next screen. Those things that nobody knows...”

Does a bit of fear come to the top? It might. They are going to know who I really am. For the Pharisees Jesus was exposing who they really were.

Now that could be a moment of significant grace. “I don’t have to hide anymore. I can step into authenticity. I can live in integrity.” OR what tends to happen in a culture like this....

They get mad at the guy who put together the slideshow. The issue becomes “how dare you. It’s not right to expose sin like this. It’s not right to have made all this public. Down with Jesus who exposes sin like this. Down with Jesus who says these things.

Their response wasn’t to change…it was to kill him. Kill the one bringing the thing into the light. Be angry with the guy who is sharing truth. That’s what happens when we are afraid of integrity. And so there is a very real temptation to join that.

Devil—you can’t ever let this be known. You cannot confess this.

Self—you don’t want to be exposed. You’d rather live a comfortable lie than an inconvenient truth.

World—we’ve all got skeletons as well and so we don’t want the light to shine. So rather than bring things to the light…we try to unplug the light source.

And this is what Jesus is saying to them when he says, “Fear the one who has authority to cast into hell.” You are called to be a light source. When this crowd turns on you—when they want to unplug you. You could fear them. When your life is in peril you could fear them…and if you fear them you won’t be a truth-teller. You won’t be one who lives in truth. You’ll play along.

Or you could fear God. Now one way to read this would be to say that God is more powerful than them—and that is certainly true. Fear the guy with the bigger muscles. In one sense Jesus is saying that. He’s saying don’t fear the ones who can trample your body and walk all over you. But fear God.

But he’s saying so much more than that. Notice what he does here in verse 6 and 7. Right after saying “Yes, I tell you, fear him” Jesus starts talking about sparrows.

Sparrows are sold in the marketplace for two pennies. Very little value to humans. They buy them. They eat them. They sacrifice them. Yet “not one of them is forgotten by God”. And you are more valuable than them. God counts the number of hairs on your head…and you are more valuable than the sparrows. So what’s the conclusion? Fear not.

I love how one commentator put this:

The Gospel of Luke 5.4.1. Persecution and Identification with God’s Purpose (12:1-12)

Jesus asserts that, in hostile situations of life imperilment, God is the only one who should be feared, but the character of God is such that one need not fear him!

The only one you should fear is the one who watches over and cares for you and loves you…the one who sent His only Son to die so that you could live. Oh what beauty.

But I don’t want us to miss something here…what did I say about sparrows? They aren’t forgotten by God. But they are of little value to humans, bought, sold, crushed, ground up into stew, discarded, their life snuffed out just like that. If God “remembered the sparrow”…if his eye was on the sparrow wouldn’t they not be bought and sold like this?

What is he doing here? You see this is all in the context of persecution. This is all part of the Pharisees planning murder and the crowd trampling. That’s the background to all of this.

Watch how a sparrow gets treated in the marketplace. If you were an outside observer and I said that these sparrows have a really powerful protector. And you see five of them sold for a penny. Then you see them crushed. You see them discarded. What are you thinking about that powerful protector?

I sure hope he isn’t “watching over me”.

What if I told you that God sent His very own Son to earth. And he made it obvious that He was His Son…and told people all about Him…and spoke of the truth…and attested to who He was…and through him did miracles, wonders, and signs...

But then...

“this man was handed over to you...”

This sparrow was put on the marketplace. Put into the hands of men, mocked, scorned, tossed aside as nothing. And in the hands of wicked men he was “put to death by being nailed to a cross”.

What do you say of his protector? What do you say of His Father? Why a casual outside observer might say...”where is this man’s father. Where is the one who is supposed to care for him. Where is the one who is supposed to be watching out for him. He’s discarded…he’s tossed aside like a filthy rag…he’s barely recognized as human. What value is this Nazarene?”

And what if I told you that those who follow the path of this Nazarene often inherit the same lot. Trampled by the crowds. Pursued by the religious leaders. Truth-tellers being unplugged for shining the light. People of integrity—authentic. Discarded. Persecuted. Slandered. Beaten. Mocked.

Those sparrows don’t fall apart from God’s care, or apart from His plan. He does all things well. He makes all things right. You might be discarded by people—thrown to the side…sold for less than a penny. But God will not neglect you. He will not overlook you. (That’s what that word means).

It doesn’t mean that you won’t get cast aside by those who don’t see value. Those who unplug the light source. Dismiss your words. Deaf to your cries. God hears. And so…what’s the conclusion.

Fear not! Don’t be driven by a fear that will cause you to forsake Christ. That’s where he is going in verses 8-12.

Public acknowledgement leads to heavenly acknowledgement. Public denial leads to heavenly denial. It’s all connected. You pick the path of the trampling crowds…pick the path of the Pharisees…pick the path of hypocrisy…not being authentic…pretending, play-acting,…not acknowledging Christ before men…there will be denial from Jesus. “Depart from me, I never knew you.”

Oh…but if we don’t go there. If we do acknowledge Christ before men. Live a life of integrity. Don’t follow the path oft he crowd but follow the way of Christ…our reward is great.

Lot’s of ink spilled on verse 10. What is the difference between speaking against Jesus and blaspheming the Spirit? There is so much that could be said here…in fact on Wednesday AM and PM next week we will cover that question in depth. But for now, I would say this simply if you are afraid you have committed this unpardonable sin you probably haven’t. This blasphemy of a Spirit is a heart in such a way that it will not and cannot repent. It will never embrace Christ.

And I think verse 11-12 help us understand we shouldn’t be anxious about that. Oh man, am I going to deny Christ? Will I blaspheme the Spirit? Will I turn away? If you have the Spirit don’t be anxious…the Spirit will give you words to say. That is what Jesus is saying.

So let’s come back to where we began.

The glare of the Pharisees. The dangerous situation. The lure of the crowd…but also the fear…the trampling crowd…you want them on your side. But you know what integrity will bring about. It is powerful but it is also dangerous. Integrity isn’t popular. Choosing to live in wholeness an authenticity goes against the world, the flesh, and the devil.

It’s as old as the Garden of Eden and its a choice we must make over and over again. The enemy, the devil, does not want us to be whole. He doesn’t want us to have integrity. The devil—who appears as an angel of light but inwardly is dark and horrendous and evil—wants us to reflect him and not to reflect God. And our flesh—our sinful humanity—likes to agree with him. We want our cake and to eat it too. There is an impulse within us all away from wholeness. A lust that aims to not only splinter and fragment ourselves but it also ends up fracturing community. And our world agrees with this—the world system is all about fracturing and splintering and not having wholeness.

This is the human condition. And you feel this. You feel the fragmenting. You experience the broken relationships. You experience the shame…the fear…knowing that you can’t really be yourself. And our society is hell-bent on creating a million false selves---those which aren’t modeled after the glory of God but are modeled after our fallen and broken and fragmented selves—and saying “be who you really are”. And it’s a call to be even more inauthentic. We’ve bought the lie that our strongest desires are who we actually are. We are what we want the most.

But Jesus is calling us into something different. He is calling us into holiness. To be who you REALLY are. Our strongest desires are not actually our deepest desires. (That’s a quote from John Mark Comer). I will quote Comer here:

What I mean by that is, in the moment of temptation, the raging fire of desire that is your flesh—the desire to make a condescending comment about your coworker, buy another pair of shoes you don’t need, overeat, over drink, lust, ignore God, watch Netflix instead of reading your Bible—feels overwhelming and almost irresistible. But those desires are not actually the deepest, truest desires of your heart; they don’t come from the bedrock layer in your soul.

Jesus has come to make us actually whole. He has come to fulfill those deep desires. You do want to be authentic. You do what to be whole. You don’t want to hide anymore. But it’s the fear we’ve talked about in this text. It’s the way our flesh and the world is shouting us down.

But Jesus calls us into confession and community. He heard those same devilish voices. Remember in his temptation he saw the crowds. He was given the path of hypocrisy. Do this…bow to me…says the devil…don’t be who you really are and all this will be yours. Jesus didn’t bite. Not for a moment. He didn’t waver. Why?

He was a man of integrity. He was a man of wholeness. And he did this for us. He stood in our place. He took all of our inauthenticity. He took all of our shame. He took all of the stuff we want to hide. He took it and bore the penalty for it in his body on the tree.

So…be free. There is nothing hidden which will not be revealed. And there is nothing which can be revealed that is not covered by the blood of Christ.

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Unbeliever. You’ve been pretending. Not having integrity or wholeness.

Church…let’s be authentic. Not pick the path of hypocrisy. Dig into community and confession.