We move now into the 12th chapter of Luke but with that we will see much of the same message that Jesus continues to share with His disciples. Most of the last chapter dealt with the fact that there are only two religious viewpoints or two kingdoms. One is the true Kingdom which is the Kingdom of God. The other is the kingdom that is associated with Satan, the world and the flesh. This distinction really was the foundation of the remainder of the chapter as we saw that a true follower of Christ will in fact be following the Lord Jesus. This does not show to us some type of sinless perfection in the life of a believer but it shows to us that a true follower of the Lord Jesus will be living for the kingdom of God and not their own agenda.
The religious leaders that make up the Pharisees, Sadducees and the scribes have been condemned constantly by our Lord Jesus throughout His ministry. This constant rejection from the Lord has built up anger against Jesus which will eventually lead Him to the cross where He will die for the sins of His people.
The flow of the text that we will look at in this study really continues somewhat with what Jesus had just exposed about these religious leaders. He previously exposed their hypocrisy that proves that they are not a part of God’s kingdom at all. As we will notice in our text for this study that Jesus will now move from just exposure of their hypocrisy to warning His disciples of the danger of falling into this type of hypocritical living. Let’s look at this as we look at our first point for this study.
1.Hypocrisy shows up in FALSE TEACHING.
Look with me at Luke 12:1 that says At this time, after so many thousands of the crowd had gathered together that they were trampling on one another, He began saying to His disciples first, “Be on your guard for the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
Jesus has spent much of His ministry with the religious leaders on His trail. They make themselves to look as if they are cordial with the Lord but in reality they have had only one agenda which is to discredit Jesus. The closer Jesus gets to accomplishing the task of paying the penalty of our sins on the cross has brought a heavier opposition from these religious leaders. If they were truly of God then they would not be in opposition to the Lord Jesus but rather joining along with Him.
This opposition has done nothing other than prove their place in the kingdom of Satan. Jesus exposed this also a little earlier in His ministry in John 8. In this text we have Jesus telling the Jews that they need to be free from slavery just like we all do. We are all sinful and slaves to sin. They did not understand the spiritual aspect of what Jesus said but instead was thinking on physical terms. They were in slavery in some sense to the Romans and had been in slavery from so many pagan nations before Rome. But they refused to listen to Jesus instead they continued to try and prove that He was wrong in His words.
We pick up the story in John 8:39-47 that says They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus *said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, you would do the deeds of Abraham. 40 But now you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God. This Abraham did not do. 41 You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of sexual immorality; we have one Father: God.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come of Myself, but He sent Me. 43 Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”
The point I am trying to bring out is that so many people even in our time think that they have no right to call people out for their true hypocrisy. I do see people call others out for being a Pharisee but usually it is because of the other person has in fact called them out for their hypocrisy. I think we have a wrong idea of what hypocrisy is. It is not showing another Christian that they have sinned, it is not pointing out someone’s wrong view that contradicts God’s command, it is not making a stand against sinful lifestyles that go against God’s standards. Being a hypocrite is saying you are a Christian, have a form of religion but not really living that out in the hidden and secret areas of your life. Hypocrites can be visible but mostly they are not seen openly simply because of the deception to maintain their status as a follower of Christ when in fact they really aren’t.
So Jesus starts to warn His disciples by telling them “Be on your guard for the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
This is something that Jesus tells the disciples on more than one occasion. He said in Matthew 16:6 “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
It was during this time that we see the disciples confused at what Jesus meant until Jesus helped them to understand. Matthew 16:12 says Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
This shows to us what we have said already in past studies which is, wrong doctrine will lead to wrong action. You can not obey God if you have the wrong instructions therefore we must strive to know the proper instructions. If we follow wrong doctrine then we will also be setting ourselves up to live out that in our lives. Jesus calls this hypocrisy. Some people in our time might call this a mistake or some form of error but in reality it is hypocrisy. So if we find that we are living in some form of religiosity that is not Biblical we must abandon it regardless of what our tradition says. If we do not then we will find that our lives will be lived out in light of that wrong doctrine. This will lead to a deeper depth of hypocrisy in many areas of our lives. This really leads us to look at our next point for this study.
2.Hypocrisy shows up in HIDDEN SINFUL ACTIONS.
Look with me at Luke 12:2 that says But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.
This point and the next, both set up the next study because both of these show to us that God is sovereign. We can not hide our true status behind some form of religion or good works. Everything we do, everything we say is exposed before God. Both of these points also show that the hypocrisy that can show up in any of our lives will show up in both hidden sinful acts and our secret hidden words.
So let’s look at the first one here. Jesus makes it clear that nothing will be missed when it comes to God’s judgement on sinners. We may fool others but God knows the hidden and secret things that will be revealed one day. Ecclesiastes 12:14 says For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.
Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
Jesus has already spoken on this point. We studied on this back in Luke 8 where Jesus says in Luke 8:16-18 “Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it with a container or puts it under a bed, but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light. 17 For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light. 18 So beware how you listen, for whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him.”
We notice that Jesus gives a warning there as well to beware on how you listen. This was right after Jesus explains the meaning of parable of the Sower. The point is that we do need to listen but we must be cautious to not listen to the wrong teaching about God. The only way to do that is to read and study the Bible ourselves. The original audience would not have this luxury of having a Bible in their home so this is where they would need to depend on the reality of truth that comes only from God. They needed to make every effort to listen for the things that would guide them into holiness and righteousness not self centered actions that elevated self. They needed, just like we do today, to move towards the things that exalt God and not self.
So back to the point we see here. Our life does not need to be different in the home than at church or work. We do not need to put on an act that makes us look religious or holy rather we need to strive to be more like God in holiness. The things we do that we think we get away with will be brought to light and exposed one day so we must not live in this type of hypocritical living. This is just one way that shows you are living in hypocrisy. Let’s move now at the next way people live in hypocrisy as we look at our last point for this study.
3.Hypocrisy shows up in SECRET COMMUNICATION.
Look with me at Luke 12:3 that says Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops.
I think it is important to note that our speech is a very important indication of our spiritual condition. With that in mind we know that many people can hypocritically speak as if they are Christians in front of others but it is the things that you speak of in secret that really reveals your spiritual condition. James 1:26 says If anyone thinks himself to be religious while not bridling his tongue but deceiving his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.
We see in the list Paul provides of ungodly ways of living that there are many of these that are connected to the words we speak. Romans 1:28-31 says And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to an unfit mind, to do those things which are not proper, 29 having been filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, violent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful.
At least 3 in this list are connected to the way we communicate to others or about others. There are others that could be a result of those 3 like strife, malice, greed, arrogant and even murder. Fights usually come from words spoken by both sides and can lead to many other unrighteous behaviors we see listed here.
In our Luke text Jesus points out that it is the things said in the dark and the things whispered in the inner rooms that will be both heard in the light and proclaimed upon the housetops. This shows to us that even when we try to say the right things in front of other Christians to make us look good in some way that our true status will be exposed one day. I do not believe that this is pointing towards people being exposed in this life even though sometimes that does happen. I believe that Jesus is playing off of the fact that the hypocritical religious leaders may sound like they are of God but in reality their words spoken behind closed doors is very different.
We know at the end of chapter 11 we saw in Luke 11:53-54 And when He left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile and to question Him closely on many subjects, 54 plotting to catch Him in something He might say.
To the people they looked to be the most godly people in the nation but in reality their secret conversations revealed that they were evil and deceptive. We must be careful to not fall in to this type of living ourselves. Some people don’t look at using cuss words as a form of ungodly behavior but this must be seen as something that we need to flee from as a Christian. It isn’t that if you say something wrong then you are immediately condemned but the fact is we must be trying to live in a different way than we did before we became a Christian.
Paul makes this clear in Ephesians 4:29-32 that says Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for building up what is needed, so that it will give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and anger and wrath and shouting and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Instead, be kind to one another, tender-hearted, graciously forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has graciously forgiven you.
In other words we must strive to live different, speak different, treat others different than we did when we lived for ourselves. We are new creations in Christ so we must live that way. If we don’t then we are in reality hypocritical at best. We must turn from that hypocrisy and live as God has commanded us in love, kindness, graciousness and unity with all people.
What we speak will be judged and in fact shows whos kingdom we are really living in. Matthew 12:35-37 says The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. 36 But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.
I know that this is a difficult subject because we know that even James says in James 3:8 But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. It is for this reason that we must depend not on our own ability to change our speech but only God that has created us in Him. It is only through the Holy Spirit’s work that we can do this. There is much more that could be said about this but for now we will only stop at what we have said here. The context points to the fact that we do not need to allow these hypocritical actions to remain in us. We will see in the next study that all of this ties to the fact that we must not be influenced by this type of false teaching that says you can live one way as long as you have done some religious acts of service towards God. We must fear God and not man will be what we dive into in our next study.
Disciple's Direction 