THE TRUTH WILL COME OUT
Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on July 5, 2020 under 2020 |
Bethany Bible Church Sunday Message; July 5, 2020 from Luke 12:1-3
Theme: We must speak and live as people of truth in the present, because all falsehood will definitely be exposed in the future.
(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
Click HERE for the live-stream archive of this sermon.
This argument started when Jesus was invited to the home of a Pharisee for dinner. Everything was fine until the Pharisee noticed that Jesus had not first washed His hands in the standard ‘ceremonial’ manner that the Pharisees had prescribed. The rigid Pharisees had a certain ritual that they insisted be followed—not because anyone’s hands were actually dirty; but only because it was a tradition that displayed ‘religious cleanliness’ on the outside. The problem was that it did nothing for the real condition of the soul. And Jesus did not submit Himself to that tradition.
The Pharisee marveled at this; and that was when Jesus said,
“Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness. Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you. But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them” (Luke 11:39-44).
That started the fight. And then, one of the Scribes (who were religious scholars and experts in the Old Testament law; and were sometimes called ‘lawyers’) decided to step in. He said, “Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also” (v. 45). This scholar didn’t have the wisdom to leave well-enough alone. And so, the Lord also responded to him and said;
“Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs. Therefore the wisdom of God also said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,’ that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation. Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered” (vv. 46-52).
This fight was growing. And do you see what our Lord was doing in it? He was simply exposing to everyone that these outwardly pious, super-spiritual Pharisees and scribes were not at all what they were pretending to be. The scribes pretended to be the trustees of scriptural knowledge and of truth; and yet, in reality, they took the key of knowledge away from people and burdened them instead with unbiblical rules that weighted down their souls. The Pharisees appeared to be outwardly holy and pure; and yet, in reality, they were like cups that were clean on the outside but filthy on the inside, or like tombs that were painted prettily on the surface but were filled with death and corruption within.
It can all be summed up with the word ‘hypocrisy’.
Well; these religious leaders didn’t like it that Jesus was shining the light of truth upon their hypocrisy. And instead of repenting at His words, they intensified their opposition to Him all the more. We’re told that these religious leaders “began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him” (vv. 53-54).
The whole while long, a crowd gathered. It was a big crowd. And it’s then that Jesus stopped speaking to the hypocritical Pharisees and scribes, and spoke instead to this large crowd—using the Pharisees and scribes as an object lesson. And His words to the crowd have a very special significance to you and me today. In Luke 12:1-3, we read;
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. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. 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” (12:1-3).
Those words were spoken in reference to the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and scribes. But dear brothers and sisters; if what our Lord said in those words is true—and of course, it is!—then you and I also have an awful lot of self-examining to do!
* * * * * * * * * *
When it comes to the things we speak and hear, there has never been an age like the one we’re living in today.
It used to be that if you had something to say, the only way that it could be known was if someone else heard your voice audibly in words you both understood. Perhaps several people might have heard you at once. It may have been that you could write your words down on stone or parchment; but your written thoughts might not spread to others unless someone else actually had access to and actually read those words. If they were impressive words, there may have been other people who would copy them down on other scraps of pottery or sheets of parchment—and those words would spread further. And it was really only a few centuries ago—just a very short time in the span of human history—that such words could be copied and spread far and wide through the printing press. But even then, the spreading of your words would have taken a long time.
If your words were strictly spoken words only, they could only have been spread by word-of-mouth repetition. And until only the past century and a half or so, your words—written or spoken—would only have traveled as fast as the people who carried the message. (I watched an old western the other day about the spread of the telegraph line. People were very excited that a message could now travel faster than a horse or a train!) But today—in the age of the Internet—your comments can spread around the world in a matter of seconds!
I was caught by surprise by this the other day. I was commenting on a Facebook page about a book by a famous author that I was excited about. A few minutes later, I was stunned when that very same author—all the way on the other side of the country—wrote a comment back to me and thanked me for my encouragement. I’m glad that my comments were so positive! There has never been a time in the whole history of human communication like the one we’re living in today!
And as amazing as that is, it is also incredibly dangerous. Falsehood and rumors can spread around the world almost instantaneously. Careless words can now cause almost immeasurable harm to great numbers of people. False ideas and misleading information can literally travel around the globe in an hour’s time. Just think of what Pastor James once wrote about the tongue—and think of how much greater the danger is today than when he first wrote them:
See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison (James 3:5b-8).
There are many sayings of the Lord Jesus that bring me great comfort; but there’s also a few that quite frankly terrify me. May I share one with you that truly causes me to tremble? In Matthew 12:35-37, He said;
“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:35-37).
‘Every idle word’—! If that’s true, then—except for the grace of God—woe is me! I have more ‘idle’ or ‘thoughtless’ or ‘vain’ words to give an account for than I dare to even think of!
Now, dear brothers and sisters; I am grateful for the pardoning grace of our God. Aren’t you? But knowing the terrible potential of our words—and knowing the subtle dangers of hypocrisy that often works behind those words—and knowing that every idle word will be require an accounting before God—I want to change now!
That’s why I think that our Lord’s words in Luke 12:1-3 are worth considering carefully.
It’s very important to notice the context in which they were spoken. We’re told that it was when He was pointing the finger at the hypocrisy of those religious leaders. It was ‘in the meantime’ or ‘under the circumstances’ of the argument He was having with them. We’re told that a ‘multitude’ of people had gathered together—and the word that is used means ‘multiple thousands’. There were so many people present, in fact, that there was no longer even any standing room; and people were actually treading upon one another in an effort to hear what He had to say. You might say that the situation was the very opposite of ‘private’. It was about as public and as ‘unhidden’ as a moment could be.
And you’ll notice that He began to speak ‘to His disciples first of all’. The things that He would go on to say would be overheard by the crowds; but they were intended—primarily—for those who were His followers. And they remind us—as Jesus’ disciples—that we—above all people—must speak and live as people of truth today; because one day, all falsehood will be completely exposed.
The cover is going to be thrown off; and all hypocrisy will be brought out into the open!
* * * * * * * * * *
Now; look at His words; and notice first that they contain …
1. A WARNING OF DANGER.
In verse 1, Jesus said, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.”
Do you know where the idea behind the concept of ‘hypocrisy’ came from? It came from the world of the ancient theater. When an actor performed, or when an entertaining speaker addressed an audience, he or she often did so behind a mask. And so, a ‘hypocrite’ was someone who performed behind a mask. It isn’t hard to see how the idea eventually took on the negative connotation of someone who was pretending to be something that they were not.
Just looking back at the things that Jesus had just said to those Pharisees and scribes shows the levels of hypocrisy that they had descended to. They were pretending to be holy on the outside through rituals and ceremonies; but there was corruption and sin on the inside. They were pretending to have the keys of knowledge; but they were neither enlightened, nor were they opening up knowledge to anyone else. It was merely an act behind a mask—an act that hid a dark heart of sin.
And do you also notice the comparison that Jesus drew to their hypocrisy? He told His followers to beware of the ‘leaven’ of the Pharisees. Leaven is a substance that is kneaded into a lump of bread dough, in order to cause the dough to foment and bubble up when it is baked. The noteworthy property of leaven is that once it gets into the bread dough, it spreads and brings its fomenting properties to bear throughout the whole lump. Jesus was using it as a figure of speech for something that permeates in a pervasive and prevailing way—bringing its influence into every part. The apostle Paul used the symbol of leaven in this way when he taught about the way sin within the church brings a negative influence upon the whole body of believers. In 1 Corinthians 5:6, with reference to sexual sin, he said that “a little leaven leavens the whole lump”; and he said the same thing in reference to unbelief in the grace of God in Galatians 5:9.
A little leaven corrupts the whole thing. And that’s what hypocrisy is—a kind of sinful leaven. It is a negative, fermenting, spoiling influence that permeates and prevails throughout a person’s whole being. It even spreads its influence to others. And that’s why Jesus warned His followers to beware of it. If we aren’t careful—before we know it—we’re beginning to pretend to be spiritual before the eyes of others when we’re actually not. We start embracing religious rules and rituals and regulations in order to show that we have a kind of piety that we don’t really possess. We even begin to point the finger at the sins of others, and make accusations about them; and all in order to make ourselves look less like the sinners that we actually are.
The Pharisees were not the sole proprietors of this. You and I can be infected by this too. And once we allow that leaven into our lives, it spreads hypocrisy throughout the whole of our inner being. We must beware!
And a reason that we need to beware is because Jesus goes on to tell us that, with God, there exists …
2. A PRINCIPLE OF EXPOSURE.
In verse 2, Jesus told the crowd—and especially His followers—“For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.” The word “nothing” makes this a universal principle. It is a promise that God will absolutely keep in every respect.
We may be able to hide things from one another; but it is impossible to hide anything from our heavenly Father. He sees and knows all. In Psalm 139, King David once wrote;
O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.
You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.
Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You (Psalm 139:1-12).
David rejoiced in this. He worshiped God for it. But his words teach us the sobering truth that we cannot hide anything from an all-seeing God. Who can successfully hide behind a hypocritical mask before Him? The writer of Hebrews similarly says;
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account (Hebrews 4:12-13).
Or consider what the Bible tells us will be the end of it all—at the Great White Throne. In Revelation 20:12, the apostle John tells us;
And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books (Revelation 20:12).
So; we should beware of hypocrisy because of a principle in God’s universe. All things that people try to hide about themselves today, or that they try to cover up with ‘self-righteous works’, will one day be disclosed. The full truth of the condition of the heart will absolutely come out.
And this is brought down to a very practical level for us in verse 3. Jesus makes …
3. A PROMISE REGARDING WORDS.
He says, “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.”
Every idle word, every piece of gossip, every bit of slander, every half-truth, every violation of a confidence to someone’s hurt, every misrepresentation, every deliberate sharing of an untruth—even if it is done anonymously on the Internet—even if it is spoken in the quietest whisper in the most secluded spot—is heard by God and will be brought out into the open on the day of judgment.
* * * * * * * * * *
Now; you might hear all of this and think that the best policy would be to arrange to have your tongue removed and your lips sewn shut. I have often thought that myself. But to do that would be to ignore the purpose that God had in mind for giving us tongues and lips in the first place. They were given so that they may be sanctified unto His use—so that we can speak what is good and worthy and honorable instead.
Let me suggest a few things to you that I try to keep before myself. First, try to remember that the reason we practice hypocrisy is because we want to be approved in the sight of other people. Repent therefore of an inflated concern for human evaluation—and concern yourself primarily with seeking the approval of God. The apostle Paul did this. In 1 Corinthians 4:3-5, he wrote;
But with me, it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God (1 Corinthians 4:3-5).
If I am right with God, then I have ultimate approval already—and I don’t need to appear to be anything more than that before others.
Then, knowing the dangerous potential of our words, be careful who you hang around with. Beware of who you listen to. Watch out for the infectious influence of the hypocrisy of others. Don’t let yourself get drawn into dialogues and discussions with those who make a practice of using words to hide an evil heart. Don’t listen to them. In Psalm 141, King David wrote;
Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
Keep watch over the door of my lips.
Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,
To practice wicked works
With men who work iniquity;
And do not let me eat of their delicacies (Psalm 141:3-4).
And finally, set your mouth and your speech aside as sanctified unto the Lord. Because you belong to Jesus, your ‘freedom of speech’ is to be brought under His lordship. As Paul put it in Ephesians 4:29-30;
Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:29-30).
May God rid us of all hypocrisy, so that we will have no reason to fear on the day of accounting.
Click HERE for the live-stream archive of this sermon.
Download the audio version of this sermon HERE.
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