Following Jesus 101

Introduction

If you have Bibles this morning, please take them and find Luke 12:1.  I want to share a message with you this morning entitled, “Following Jesus 101.”

 

If you are familiar with college classes, they usually have a title and a number.  For my experience, 100 level classes were for freshmen, 200 level classes for sophomores, 300 level classes for juniors, and 400 level classes were for senior.

 

To attach 101 to something is to it is the beginning or the foundation.  It is the most basic starting point. 

 

In today’s text, Jesus was speaking to His disciples, and He gave them some beginning instructions.  These were some basics for following Jesus.

 

 

1. Avoid the Pharisees’ Hypocrisy, Luke 12:1-3.

1 In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops. 

 

Verse 1 says that there were A LOT of people had come to Jesus to see Him and hear him.  The text literally indicates thousands.

 

However, Jesus had some specific words for His disciples.  Therefore, He changed audiences from chapter 11 where He was talking to the Pharisees.

 

The end of verse says beware of the leaven of the Pharisees. Just in case you didn’t understand His figurative language, He said to avoid their hypocrisy.

 

Most of the time, leaven in the Bible is not good.  It is evil. 

 

Leaven is akin to yeast.  It makes bread rise.

 

BTW…Why do we use unleavened bread for the Lord’s Supper?  The bread symbolizes Jesus’ body.  Jesus’ body had no sin, no evil, whatsoever. 

 

A little leaven is all you need to make bread rise.  A little leaven goes a long way as it permeates the entire loaf.  The hypocrisy of the Pharisees had permeated or infected every area of their lives. 

 

What is hypocrisy?  It literally means wearing a mask.  It was a theater term that described actors.

 

It means to be two different people.  You act one way around some folks and act a completely different way around others. 

 

Or, your talk out of both sides of your mouth.  You say nice things to someone’s face and bad things when they aren’t around. 

 

Why did Jesus say beware or avoid this behavior?  Because all that is hidden will eventually be revealed. All that is said in private places will eventually be made public. 

 

In other words, it is illogical. At the final judgement, there will be no secrets. 

 

Therefore, avoid that behavior now.  Conversely, live authentically or genuinely.  Be transparent and an open book.

 

 

2. Fear the Personal Deity, Luke 12:4-7.

4 “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!  6 “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

 

And I say to you in verse 4 marks a new section.  The instruction here is not to fear men.  They can only take your physical life.

 

Instead, fear God or fear Deity.  Fear God because He is in charge of your eternity. 

 

The word fear means to revere or respect or live in such a way that you honor Him by obeying Him. 

 

Before you speak, is that what God wants?  Before you act, is this what God wants?  Before you respond, is this what God wants?

 

Why does this matter?  The one who doesn’t surrender his or her life to God will spend an eternity in hell without God. 

 

The word hell here is the word Gehenna or the Valley of Hennon.  In the OT, this was where pagans sacrificed their children by burning them.

 

By the time of the NT, this was the city dump outside of Jerusalem.  Trash was burning day and night.  You could see and smell the smoke.

 

In the same way, hell is a real place. It is a real place where real lost people go when they really die, and where they will experience real physical and real spiritual pain for a real eternity. 

 

However, this deity is not just any deity.  He is the Personal Deity who loves you and wants a personal relationship with you.  His name is Jesus.

 

Verse 6 says that sparrows are cheap, but God loves them.  Why?  They are part of His creation.

 

Consequently, the Personal Deity, Jesus, is and wants to be intimately acquainted with the details of your life.  He knows the number of hairs on your head.  On average, that is more than 100,000.

 

God loves His creation?  Who is the pinnacle of His creation? 

 

You are.  He loves you.  Fear the Personal Deity!

 

 

3. Confess Jesus Publically, Luke 12:8-12.

8 “Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. 9 But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.  10 “And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.  11 “Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. 12 For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

 

The last instruction of following Jesus 101 is confess Him publically.  We find that in verse 8.

 

The word confess means to say the same thing.  To confess Jesus is to say that you are His.  He would then say the same thing about you.  You are His.

 

If we confess Jesus before men or publically, Jesus will confess us in heaven.  However, if we deny Him publically, He will deny us in heaven.

 

Speaking of heaven, how does a person go to heaven when he or she dies?  He or she goes to heaven and is forgiven of sin by not blaspheming the Holy Spirit.

 

Blaspheming the Holy Spirit is the unpardonable or unforgiveable sin.  It is not suicide or divorce or any other thing that folks have made up through the years.

 

To blaspheme the Holy Spirit is give credit to the devil for doing what only God can do.  Don’t think that the devil can do what only God can do.

 

In chapter 11, the Pharisees said that Jesus cast out a demon by the power of the devil.  However, only God can do that, but they were giving the credit to the devil.

 

How do we do that today?  Only Jesus can save you.  You can’t be saved any other way. 

 

However, when you reject Jesus as Savior, you are saying with your actions that there is another savior.  That is not true. 

 

You are giving the devil credit for only what God can do.  This is the unpardonable sin. 

 

And when you stand for Jesus, there will be persecution.  However, don’t worry.  In that moment, God will give you exactly what you should say and what He wants you to say.

 

 

Invitation

If you are here this morning and you’re committing the unforgivable sin, stop.  Repent. 

 

Only Jesus can save. Call on Him.

 

If you are saved, are you living a life of authenticity?  Are you fearing God?  Have you confessed Jesus publically through baptism and with your daily life?