As we have continued in this chapter we have looked back into the context in which all of what Jesus is speaking points to. We have spoken much in regards to the two different kingdoms that Jesus has been speaking of since chapter 11. This section also goes along with that as well. To understand this section of Scripture we must keep in mind that very context. To take this section as a stand alone text will confuse us to think this means something different than what Jesus is speaking about here.
The context has pointed back to not living in hypocrisy. We can not live in both the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light. We can not live for God and ourselves at the same time. We all will sin, we all will do things that are against the very commands of God but the test is whether or not you are living in that way continually. The religious leaders of Judaism were mostly hypocritical that served a hypocritical system in the name of God. Their religion was their god. Their laws, their traditions were what they served. They called it God’s law but in reality they were serving their man-made traditions and laws.
We just came off of the study of fearing God and not man. It is the fear of God that we must have and that we must teach. But for many they will serve their traditions, their religion, their own presuppositions instead of God. There are many that do this in every Christian denomination, false Christian religion and made up ideology. The danger comes when we leave from serving God and fearing God. The danger comes when we fear man and reject God in the process. This is the very topic of our study. We will notice that there is a time when what we believe turns into being in a place of judgement and wrath before God. With this in mind let’s look at our first point for this study.
1.What it means to CONFESS Christ.
Look with me at Luke 12:8 that says And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God.
What Jesus says here is in relation to the fact that the religious establishment of Judaism was in control of the people’s livelihood. If they did not stay in good with the religious leaders then there was always a threat of being thrown out of the synagogue. If that happened then they would lose any business with others, they would lose more than just the fellowship but in reality their life would be over in the area that they lived.
To relate this to our time I believe we see this in our government to some extent but it is not limited to just the government. There are religions as well that will excommunicate you for going against their man-made laws and ordinances. Now I do believe we consider excommunication under the circumstances given in the Bible but this should never be done because of someone’s’ personal preference or action against something that is not taught in the Bible.
So our point here in our text is in the fact of our confession before others concerning Jesus. This is not meaning that you are able to post on your social media that you are confessing Christ or that you have made some type of profession of faith. In the context it shows to us that we are willing to confess Christ even when it may cost us our job, friendships, loss of family ties or even death. As we will see there is much more than just some onetime social media post or profession of faith in a church setting. This must be our lifestyle and the way we live continually.
The key to understanding what is meant here is revealed to us as we look at the original language. The word confess is the Greek word homologeó (hom-ol-og-eh’-o) which means to speak the same thing, to agree with, to declare. The idea behind this word being used here is not just some type of one time confession of faith in Christ. This is a confession that is permanent and stands as a reality of one’s life.
Jesus says that we are to confess before men. But don’t be confused in thinking that this is speaking of certain men. The original word for men as we see it is the Greek word anthrópos (anth’-ro-pos) that means men or the human race. The key is that in the original there is a definite article that we do not see in most modern translations. So the verse really says that we should confess before “the men.” This indicates to us that this confessing is not to certain men but to the world. This is a confessing in our homes, our jobs, in the streets, in every area of life. This is not just a part of who we are but it is everything we are. This is not saying we go around like a crazy person yelling out Bible verses but this simply shows us that we are to be willing to confess Christ in opposition to the nature of the human race which is against God.
So to conclude this point we must realize that we are to be willing to and actively confessing Jesus in front of the world in deed and in our words. If we do this Jesus says the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God. This is words of confirmation that you belong to Christ. This shows us that our actions are in line with a person that is truly saved. This moves to us to the opposite of this in our next point.
2.What it means to DENY Christ.
Look with me at Luke 12:9 that says but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
Remember the religious leaders of Judaism would say that they were living in a way that was of God. Many people that go to church in our time would confirm that they too are living for God. They may confess that they do a lot that God wouldn’t be pleased with but they do not see the issue as long as they “believe” and that they have made that profession of faith in Christ. Sadly many that would say that fall into this next category of people that denies Jesus before men.
So even though many people would affirm their status as a Christian, their actions actually tell something different. This denial is not something that is necessarily said but it is an action that has been taken. This word in the Greek for denies is the word arneomai (ar-neh’-om-ahee) which means to refuse to identify with. Now we need to know that when we speak of this we are not meaning in just some type of profession of faith but also in the way that your life is lived out. Anyone can say they are a Christian but will that be affirmed by the way they live out their life in association with Christ. Will their life produce the fruit that shows that they are truly a Christian?
If not then no matter what you say, you are not confessing Christ but rather denying Him. Remember the words of our Lord concerning these type of people from Matthew 7:21-23 where Jesus says “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, in Your name did we not prophesy, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name do many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
The point is clear that no profession of faith is reliable, no amount of superficial works or confession holds up to truth of who you really are. If you live out your life in your every day situations as if you are not a Christian then in reality you are denying the Lord before others by your lawlessness. I am not speaking of perfection but rather the direction of your life. If this is the case then Jesus says in Luke 12:9 but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
The phrase before angels of God refers to God’s presence. We know this because Matthew 10:32-33 says this so clearly, it says “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.
The fact that you deny Christ as Lord by the way you live will show that in the day of Judgement, you will be denied as a true Christian. This reality should be a warning to those that profess Christ to repent and be saved from the wrath to come. This leads us to look at next point for this study.
3.What it means to BLASPHEME the Holy Spirit.
Look with me at Luke 12:10 that says And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him, but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him.
This very verse has been the foundation of many discussions on what we call the unpardonable sin. I have been asked what this means by many people throughout my life. I think people want to know simply because of the fear that they may have committed this sin against the Holy Spirit. I always say that if you are concerned with whether or not you have committed it shows that you haven’t.
I believe what Jesus says here is coming off of what He just spoke about concerning the denying of those before the Father. We see that Jesus is still speaking in the context of what we have been studying since chapter 11 as well. The religious leaders of His time wanted to look as if they were of God when in reality their actions told otherwise when Jesus exposes them. They are not of God because they deny Christ, they do not affirm Jesus as the Messiah and therefore they will be denied before God in the future unless they repent.
I think we see that Jesus speaks of the possibility that some in that group of unbelievers will repent and be saved by the fact that He says And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him.
What Jesus says here is not meant to create the idea that all will be forgiven but that the possibility of forgiveness is there for some. If a person commits any sin while alive they will be forgiven of course through the mercy of God. This is the idea and then we move on in the text where Jesus says but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him.
Notice the wording difference here, it isn’t just speaking against the Holy Spirit that is unforgiveable but it is blasphemy. This means to speak evil against or to slander. A person that does this is in reality denying the work of the Holy Spirit in their own life. They are not regenerate, they are not Christians and therefore when they do this they will not be forgiven. Now I do not believe any one person has done this while they are alive. I believe Jesus is speaking of the fact that they will not be forgiven because ultimately they rejected the work of the Holy Spirit to bring them to salvation in Christ.
Blasphemy is not something you do in a moment but rather what every person that does not come to Christ for salvation, through the Holy Spirit has done. This leads to unforgiveness and wrath to come in the judgement where they will be denied to the Father. This turns us to look at our last point briefly.
4.What it means to TRUST the Holy Spirit.
Look with me at Luke 12:11-12 that says Now when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.
In opposition to the one that blasphemes the Holy Spirit we see the person that has trusted in Christ and trusts in the work of the Holy Spirit in their own life. Jesus points to the fact that if you are following Him then there will be hardships in your life. Jesus says to His disciples when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities.
It was never a matter of if they will be persecuted but rather when. We too will face opposition that may look different than this but the principle is still the same. We are to trust the work of the Holy Spirit to guide us in those times. We do not live in fear of man, we do not fear the loss of a job, friendships or family ties but rather we fear God. We trust God and the work that He has given to us. In those moments we are to not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.
This statement has been looked at wrongly by so many. Some people use this to say that the Holy Spirit will give to us some inner impression or that we might hear some still small voice at times in our life to help us along the way. But this is not what is meant by this at all. This is in the context of not fearing men but fearing God as we have seen back in Luke 12:4-5.
Only a person that has been born by the Spirit will be led by the Spirit which will lead us to trust in the Spirit. This is not done in isolation. This is done in connection to the fact that we are living and speaking in a way that affirms that Jesus is our Lord. We must be certain that we are not living in such hypocrisy that we fall into the trap of false religion and false teaching. We are either in God’s Kingdom or we are not. You will either be confessed before God as His child or you will be damned to Hell because of the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit that leads to being denied before God the Father and sentenced to punishment in the fury of God’s wrath. I plead with you today to turn from yourself and place your trust in Christ.
Disciple's Direction 