Luke 12:8-9 (ESV) “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.

Again judgement day in eternity is in view here. To acknowledge Jesus before men is to be a bold witness for Jesus. If you are a bold witness for Jesus, Jesus will acknowledge that you are his before the angels on judgement day. But if you fear man, are not a bold witness and deny Jesus, He will deny you on judgement day. If Jesus denies knowing you on judgement day, you won’t spend eternity with him. Now we know that Peter denied Jesus before men, but he repented and Jesus forgave him. But there is an unforgiveable sin.

Luke 12:10 (ESV) 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.

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is a sin that will not be forgiven. An unforgiven sin will send that person to spend eternity in hell. In the other Gospels, this statement of Jesus was made after the Jewish leaders accused Jesus of delivering people from demons by the power of Satan. The sin which cannot be forgiven is denying the power of the Holy Spirit and attributing it to the devil. I believe those that commit the unforgivable sin have no desire to repent. They are become entrenched in their unbelief and disrespect for the Holy Spirit.

Luke 12:11-12 (ESV) 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.”

Jesus looks forward to persecution that his disciples would face in the future. When they were required to defend themselves before rulers, they should rely on the Holy Spirit to give them the right words. Words that would show no fear of the rulers, but would give a bold witness for Jesus. When we fear God alone, we have the power to be a fearless witness for Jesus.

Someone once asked the question, if you were brought up to trial as a follower of Jesus, would there be enough evidence to convict you? You see, most people would say that they would never deny Jesus. Yet, they go through life, fearing about what other people would think, they never tell others about Jesus. In fact, many or most of some people’s friends have no idea they are a Christian.

You can deny Jesus verbally by saying you don’t know him or you can deny Jesus simply by silence. Never speaking of him to others who are unbelievers. As we grow in our fear of the Lord, our fears of being a bold witness will decrease. We will be able to acknowledge our faith in any and all circumstances. We will boldly witness for Jesus. Finally, Jesus encourages us to consider eternity and to …

Luke 12:1b-2 (ESV… 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.

Hypocrisy is pretending to be something you’re not, which is what the Pharisees did. They acted as if they were righteous and holy, but they were full of sin. Jesus begins to talk about eternity and what we have to fear. Leaven easily spreads through a lump of dough. So Jesus is warning that we mustn’t be influenced by the hypocrites around us. At the judgement, the hypocrites will no longer be able to hide anything. Everything that they have tried to hide will be revealed in all its ugliness.

Luke 12:4-5 (ESV) “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!

First Jesus tells us whom we are not fear. We are not to fear even those who may kill us for our faith in Christ. We are not to fear them because the worst they can to do is send us to heaven. We are to fear one person alone, we are to fear God. We are to fear God, because as judge of all, he has the authority to send a person to hell. The word fear in regard to God is repeated three times in this verse. We are to fear God for the greatest tragedy that could ever happen to a human being is to spend eternity in torment out of God’s presence in hell.

Luke 12:6-7 (ESV) 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.

Yet, God is not a vengeful God, He cares deeply about His creation, even the birds. And he cares even more about every human being he has created. He knows everything about you, even the number of hairs on your head, which changes daily, doesn’t it. So, Jesus tells us to fear not, because we are more value than those birds.

So, which is it? Are we to fear or are we to fear not? Since Jesus commands us to both fear and fear not, we must do both. We must allow the fear of God sending us to hell keep us walking close to him.And as we walk close to God, we have no need to fear, for we are headed toward heaven. Fear God alone.

A lot of people get Jesus’ point exactly backwards. They have no fear of God sending them to hell because they think they’re going to heaven, no matter if they believe in Jesus, no matter if they live a life of sin. Although they have no real fear of God, they worry about everything, which is a form of fear.

Do you want to get rid of worry in your life today? Make a choice to fear God alone and walk close to Him. As you are close to Jesus you have no need to fear or worry about anything, except the Lord.In this passage, Jesus is not speaking to the crowd, He is speaking to his disciples. When we learn to truly fear God, we become fearless of anything else. When we fear God alone, we can …

Today we begin a new message series entitled “Kingdom Principles.” We’re going to be talking about the Kingdom of God, also called the Kingdom of Heaven.

Luke 4:43 (ESV) but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.”’

Most of Jesus’ teaching focused on the kingdom of God. So we mustn’t neglect it. The kingdom of God is not an earthly kingdom. In this age, the kingdom of God will not be a government that rules over a nation. The Kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom. Yet, human beings can become part of the kingdom of God.

John 3:3 (ESV) Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

A human being must be born again in order to see and enter the kingdom of God. When a person believes in Jesus, they are born again into the spiritual family of God and become citizens of the spiritual kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is an eternal kingdom, it will last forever. Those who are disciples of the kingdom of any age are kingdom citizens.

Today’s message is called “Should You Fear God?” We’ll be looking at some profound teaching of Jesus about how His followers or disciples are to live. If you’re a believer in Jesus today, you’ve been born again, this message is for you. If you’re not yet a believer, you will learn more today about how to become a believer.

Proverbs 1:7 (ESV) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Many people believe that all fear is bad, but that’s not true. The only good fear is the fear of the Lord which leads to knowledge of God. Oftentimes the fear of the Lord is explained away by timid teachers, saying it’s just a reverent feeling. Yes, we should have a reverence of God, but the fear of the Lord means exactly what it says, we must fear God, as we’ll see today.

There are two basic types of fear of the Lord. The first is the fear of the Lord regarding this life that keeps us from sinning. God’s Word teaches that if we sow sin in our lives, we will reap judgement from God. The second type of fear of the Lord has to do with the next life, eternity.

Eternity has two and only two destinations. The first is heaven, a place of eternal and unimaginable joy with God. The second is hell, a place of eternal and unimaginable torment without God. Any rational person should fear being sent to hell by God and run to Jesus. Today, we’re going to learn more from Jesus about why we should fear God. The fear of God leads to blessing in this life and for eternity.

Luke 11:47-48 (ESV) Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. So you are witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs.

The false prophets and unbelieving Israelites opposed and even killed many of God’s true prophets in Old Testament times. Jesus now accuses these contemporary leaders as opposing true prophets as well. Of course, Jesus was more than a prophet, He was the Messiah. Yet, the Jewish leaders and the majority of Jews would oppose him and not believe in him.

Luke 11:49-50 (ESV) Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation,

Not only did the current leaders endorse their ancestors sins, they would continue them in their time. Jesus prophesied that these false teachers would persecute and even kill the true prophets and apostles that God would send. The generation of Israelites in Jesus’ time bore the greatest responsibility, for Jesus, the son of God had taught them and done miracles in their midst. Yet, they opposed and rejected him.

Luke 11:52 (ESV) Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.”

Jesus announces one final woe against the lawyers. The lawyers or scribes prided themselves on having so much knowledge of God’s Word. Yet, Jesus accuses them of taking away the key of the knowledge of God from others. Not only did the lawyers not have a relationship with God, they hindered others who sought to know God.

Luke 11:53-54 (ESV) As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things, lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say.

Here, Luke shows us that the scribes and Pharisees are acting in accordance with Jesus’ comments. They are opposing Jesus as a true teacher and prophet. They will continue to try to do whatever they can to stop Jesus’ ministry. When that fails, they will conspire to have him crucified. Beware false teachers who oppose true teachers.

We see the same thing happening all around us today, both in religious circles and in society. Those who are false teachers, promoting the lies of Satan, will always oppose true teachers. Usually, they will do what the Jews of Jesus’ day and the Jews of today do. False teachers will call the true teachers false and pass their teachings off as true.

As Christians, we have an objective standard of truth, the Bible. Those that teach contrary to God’s Word are the false teachers. And those who teach according to God’s Word are the true teachers. In order to discern God’s truth, an understanding of the Bible is required.

In order to understand the Bible, three things are necessary and taught in God’s Word. First of all, a person needs to believe in Jesus. Once they do, the Holy Spirit will help them understand God’s Word. Secondly, every person needs to read their Bible regularly. You have one book that God requires you to master in life, the Bible. Finally, every person needs to be part of a biblical church with true teachers that they can learn from.

As you grow in understanding God’s Word and knowing Jesus better, you will be able to discern the false teachers, prophets and churches that are all around us. Beware if false teachers who oppose true teachers.

In this message series, we’re learning to do what Jesus did. Today, we’ve learned how Jesus called out false teachers and warned us about them. We must be on our guard against false teachers who focus on outward rules. We must recognize false teachers who put themselves above others. We must beware of false teachers who oppose true teachers.

Many false teachers call themselves Christians and use God’s Word. Many denominations are made up of false churches and false teachers. They are no longer teaching the truth of God’s Word.Beware yourself and warn others to get out and become part of a biblical church. Truth matters. May God help us to know the truth and spread the truth.

Luke 11:42 (ESV) “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.

The Pharisees were tithers, giving to God 10% of everything they had, even the herbs they were growing. Jesus commends them for tithing, establishing tithing as a New Testament command. The problem was not their tithing. The problem was that they neglected other important things. The important things neglected were promoting justice for people and love for God.

We know from other passages, that the Pharisees always made a public show of giving their tithes. Yet, they looked down on those who had less than them. They had no relationship with God, their prayer were for show.

Luke 11:43-44 (ESV) Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without knowing it.”

The Pharisees liked the applause of men, they always wanted to be first, they were filled with pride. In Jesus’ day, graves were marked, so that no one would inadvertently walk on them. Graves are filled with dead bones and uncleanness.

In the same way, these false teachers deceived people who did not perceive their superior attitude. They were hypocrites, appearing godly on the outside, but full of pride on the inside.

Luke 11:45-46 (ESV) One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.” And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.

The lawyers or scribes were the second group of Jewish leaders addressed by Jesus. Jesus pronounced another woe or judgement on the lawyers. They composed thousands of rules for people to keep, yet they did not keep the rules themselves.They likewise put themselves above others. Beware of false teachers who put themselves above others.

False teachers put themselves above others rather than serving others. Some false teachers personally accumulate millions of dollars from people who support their ministries. Their message is that you can be a rich millionaire just like me if you give me your money. That is a false teacher, and no one should enable them in their false ministry, even if they do say some things that are true.

False teachers are always name droppers, letting you know that they move in circles of other high profile people. False teachers have no time to pray for you or to talk to you. May we ourselves always have time for the needy and the hurting. May we use the resources that God has entrusted to us to further His kingdom and to help others, not just for ourselves. Beware false teachers who put themselves above others.

Luke 11:38-39 (ESV) The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner. And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.

Jesus was invited to a dinner party at a Pharisees house. The custom for Jews was to ceremonially wash their hands before eating dinner. This was not for health reasons, but to make sure that they did not eat anything unclean. Jesus did not turn out to be the ideal dinner guest the Pharisee had expected.

He speaks of all the Pharisees, including his host. Jesus uses the outward washing as an illustration of who the Pharisees were. The Pharisees were Jewish leaders who looked religious on the outside as they kept their rules. However, Jesus knew that on the inside they were greedy and wicked.

Luke 11:40 (ESV) You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also?

Jesus calls the Pharisees fools for their false teaching. God made their souls on the inside to be filled with God. Yet their souls were filled with ungodliness.

Luke 11:41 (ESV) But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.

The Pharisees made sure that everyone knew that they gave offerings to the temple as an outward show. However, they had not allowed God to change them. As we’ll see, they were not going to accept Jesus as God’s Messiah. If they would give God their souls within, then they would be cleansed and truly clean. The problem with the false teachers of the Pharisees was that they focused on keeping outward rules.

We must beware of false teachers who focus on outward rules. We must be careful not to focus on outward rules ourselves as a means to righteousness. False teachers are hypocrites, pretending to be something outwardly that they are not inwardly. The rules that false teachers promote are not the commands of Scripture, but additional rules they have invented.

The biggest lie of false teachers and churches today is the teaching that a person is saved by doing good things. The Bible teaches that only those who believe in Jesus are saved.Beware of false teachers who focus on outward rules. Next, we must beware of false teachers …