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Lesson 37 of the Discipleship Making process.
I left you last time with this question, “Why do people try to hide what they have done or said?”
Read: Luke 12:4-12
When Jesus told the disciples that everything a person says or does will be revealed it was a frightening prospect. For who is without sin and not ashamed of some aspect of his life? Fortunately for all of His disciples, then and now, Jesus initiated this lesson by calling His disciples (A disciple is one who learns from his teacher and then implements what he is instructed to do - John 15:14) . . . friends. This is a powerful and reassuring message for them. For when an individual voluntarily enters a relationship with another as a friend, he has committed himself to oversee the welfare of his friend. And for Jesus, the Son of the Living God, to call you a friend is indeed a supreme blessing.
Jesus knows that His disciples will face persecution and death because of the message they will bring so he prepares them for this eventuality. Since death is a natural fear of man, Jesus uses it to present some truths to the disciples. First, He commands them not to fear man, even their enemies, because their authority and power are limited to the killing of the body. Instead they are to fear God alone, as He has both the authority and power to kill the body and to cast into hell.
Next Jesus reassures the disciples by telling them not to fear because they are of great value to God. He gives them two reasons why they should not be fearful: 1) They believe in and confess Him and 2) they have not blasphemed against the Holy Spirit. While this is assurance for the disciples, it gives cause to fear in others who are not following Him.
Listen to what Jesus had to say about why people should have reason to fear God:From the Scripture it appears that there are two reasons that God can cast a man into hell: 1) Willfully denying that Jesus is the Christ and 2) willfully speaking against the Holy Spirit. In other words calling Him who is good . . . evil or calling him who is evil . . . good (Isaiah 5:20).
At the beginning of the lesson Jesus had told the disciples they were not to fear men and He concludes the lesson by telling them that when men bring them before rulers and authorities they are not to be concerned about defending themselves, because the Holy Spirit will give them what to say when they need to speak.
The point of the lesson is Jesus followers have no reason to be afraid of God.
With that, allow me to leave you with this question to consider, along with a little homework assignment until my next posting:
Why do you worry?
. . . and the homework assignment . . .
Take a few minutes to reflect on what Jesus had to say, and ask yourself these questions:
- Why do people try to hide what they have done or said?
- What things have you done or are still doing that you are attempting to hide from others?
- What evil or derogatory things have you said either secretly to others or in your heart?
- Take a few minutes and compile a list.
- Then take your list and publicly confess it to the Lord Jesus Christ (1 John 1:9-10).
Until next time . . . Godspeed!
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