Luke 12

Luke 12:1-7

Chapter 75 A Message For The Master’s Friends We have in this portion of Luke’s Gospel a message to the Master’s friends. While the scribes and Pharisees were laying wait for him, seeking some pretentious ground for hurling vile accusations at him (Luke 11:54), as literally thousands of people crowded to hear him, the Lord Jesus turned to his disciples, those men and women who followed him, and particularly to those men whom he had chosen and sent out to preach the gospel, and gave them the message contained in these verses. The message is simple, clear and forthright. I will give it to you in seven statements. The Lord Jesus Christ Was An Exemplary Preacher This first lesson I take not from our Master’s words so much as from his behaviour. “In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy” (Luke 12:1). Our Lord Jesus was constantly concerned for the welfare of his people. While the scribes and Pharisees were seeking his ruin, his heart and mind were occupied with his chosen. His every thought was focused on his disciples. He did nothing to defend or protect himself. He was concerned for his people. What an example he is. I pray that he will make me such a preacher, a preacher and a pastor fully devoted to the welfare of God’s people, serving the souls of men, with no thought of self-interest! Now, watch the Master. There were, as I said, literally thousands of people gathered around him. What would he say? How would he speak? Here is God who is love incarnate, the only man who ever loved men perfectly. How will he speak? Surely every preacher will be wise to emulate him. Our Lord began his message with a severe, public denunciation of the most powerful, influential religious leaders and the religion they represented. Unsparingly, unflinchingly, without partiality, he denounced the scribes and Pharisees as utter hypocrites. How different things might be today if gospel preachers everywhere would follow his example! Our Master was more concerned for the glory of God than the approval of men. He was more concerned for the welfare of men’s souls than their applause. He was more concerned for his people than for his own reputation, safety and comfort. Here’s the second lesson: We Must Constantly Guard Against Hypocrisy “He began to say unto his disciples first of all”, notice that the Lord Jesus directed his message not to the Pharisees, nor to the multitude, but to his disciples. These were the men he had chosen to be the preachers of his gospel. It was, therefore, needful that they (and we) be made aware of the pretentious devices and arts of the scribes and Pharisees. He knew that we need to be warned and prepared for the devices of Satan and his messengers who come as wolves in sheep’s clothing. “Before all things, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” This warning, he says, is to stand before us above all cautions, above all beacons, before all things. Ever beware of this leaven, which will ultimately ruin everything: ! In doctrine and in conduct, the whole of the Pharisees’ religion was nothing but an outward show of piety. The whole of their religion is outward, designed and practised for man’s approval. It is all appearance only. Our Lord compares it to leaven. Though, perhaps, very small at first, it gradually increases and spreads itself. Like leaven, it lies hidden and covered, and is not easily discerned. Its agenda and influence and effects are not open and above board. But given time, it infects and corrupts the whole of men’s principles and practices. Religion without Christ puffs and swells men with pride like nothing else. Beware of every doctrine and religious practice that is obviously intended for show. Beware of everything that seems pretentious. Beware, above all else, of your own tendency to such things! If we would avoid the danger of hypocrisy, the deadly plague of pretence, we must ever seek to be simple, sincere and open, honest with God, especially about ourselves (2 Corinthians 11:2-3). Someday All Things Shall Be Revealed And Made Known “For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.” Our Lord repeated this fact so often that all who heard him must have thought it was a matter he intended for us to lay to heart (Matthew 10:26; Mark 4:22; Luke 8:17). “There is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.” What a warning this is for hypocrites! What a consolation it is for true believers! Both Job and the Apostle Paul considered it a matter of great joy that all things will be made manifest in that great day (Job 16:19; 1 Corinthians 4:3-4). That which the Lord God has been pleased to reveal to us we must proclaim to the world (Luke 12:3). “Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.” Has the Lord God revealed to us the gospel of his grace? Then let us proclaim it from the housetop. “So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:15-17). There Are People Whom The Son Of God Has Made To Be His Friends Look at the opening line of Luk 12:4. “And I say unto you my friends.” Isn’t that remarkable? Christ Jesus makes sinners his friends! He is the Friend of publicans and sinners. Rejoice! He is the Friend that sticketh closer than a brother. Give thanks! But here is something else. He has made us his friends. “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you” (John 15:14-15). Nothing Is So Destructive To Usefulness As Fear Of Man “And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.” The fear of man is bondage. The only cure there is for the fear of man is the fear of God. If we fear God, there is no reason to fear anyone else. Life and death are in his hands alone; and none can harm us, except by the will and consent of our heavenly Father. Learn this, too. Hell and everlasting judgment and wrath are real. God’s Elect Have Nothing To Fear “Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.” Nothing whatever, whether great or small, can happen to one of God’s elect, without God’s decree and direction. The providential government of our great God over everything in this world is a truth which is clearly revealed and constantly taught in the Word of God. Just as the telescope and microscope show us that there is order and design in all the works of God’s hand, from the greatest star down to the least insect, so the Book of God teaches us that there is an infinite wisdom, divine order, and gracious design in all the events of our daily lives. There is no such thing as “chance”, “luck”, or “accident” in God’s creation or in our journey through this world. All is arranged and appointed by God, our heavenly Father. And all things “work together” for our good (Romans 8:28; Romans 11:33-36). Let us seek to have an abiding sense of God’s hand in all our affairs. Our Father’s hand measures out our daily portion. All our steps are ordered by him who loves us with an everlasting love. Confidence in God’s wise and good providence is a mighty antidote against murmuring and discontent. In the day of trial and disappointment, as in the day of joy and happiness, all is right and all is well done. When we are laid on the bed of sickness, there is a “needs be” for it.

Else, it would not come to pass. Because it comes to pass, the very fact that it comes to pass should assure us that it is for our souls’ advantage. Let us bow and be still, and bear all things patiently. Ours is “an everlasting covenant ordered in all things and sure” (2 Samuel 23:5). That which pleases our God ought to please us. Truly, “he hath done all things well”!

And he will yet do all things well.

Luke 12:8-12

Chapter 76 Two Warnings And A Promise The passage we have read contains some “things hard to be understood”. The principle thing that is dealt with in this text is “the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost”. This is a subject about which it must be acknowledged little is known. The best and fullest explanations of it are, in my opinion, far from being exhaustive and satisfactory. And I have no delusions about being able to fathom the depths of this subject. I will say no more about it than I am confident of as a matter of divine revelation and no less. We must never be surprised to find things in the Bible that are simply beyond the reach of our minds. If it had no deep places here and there, which no man is capable of understanding, much less explaining, it would not be the Word of the infinite God. However, rather than stumbling and falling over the things we cannot understand, we ought to give thanks to God for those revelations of wisdom and grace, which even the simplest minds are able to grasp. When we find things written in the Word of God that we do not understand, or that appear to our puny brains to be inconsistent with matters of clear revelation, let us reverently bow to the scriptures, knowing that God is true, praying and waiting for clearer understanding that only God the Holy Spirit can give. Let us never speculate about divine truth, or offer opinions about things beyond our comprehension. Confessing Christ And Denying Him In Luke 12:8-9 our Lord warns us about denying him, teaching us that true faith confesses him before men and will not deny him.“Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.” If you would be saved, you must come to Christ (Matthew 11:28-30). There is no salvation without coming to the Lord Jesus. I am often asked, “How do I come to Christ?” Come to Christ any way you can, but come. This coming to Christ is an act of faith. If you come to Christ in saving faith, you must do so personally. I wish that I could believe God for my family; but a father cannot trust Christ for his children. Each must trust the Son of God personally. Unless a person in his own heart believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, he will perish. If you come to Christ, you must come sincerely. You must not only be persuaded that Christ is the Way, but in your heart you must lovingly and sincerely agree with God’s terms of salvation. He says, “My son, give me thine heart” (Proverbs 23:26). It is the heart or nothing in this heavenly marriage. This matter of faith in Christ, coming to Christ, is a rational, reasonable thing. All who come to Christ do so rationally, in knowledge and understanding. Faith is not a leap in the dark, but a reasonable, rational, knowledgeable trust. I know what Christ saved me from. He has saved me from sin’s curse and condemnation. I know who saved me. The Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man saved me. I know how he saved me. He saved me by grace alone, through the merits of his perfect obedience and precious blood. And I know why he saved me. He did so “according to the good pleasure of his own will” (grace, grace, and more grace). I know this, too: If you come to Christ, you will never quit coming to him. Believers are sinners who are ever coming to Christ, seeking him, trusting him, and worshipping him (1 Peter 2:1-4; Colossians 2:6). The gift of faith is a permanent gift of grace; and those who come to Christ come permanently, with no intention of ever leaving him; and, by his grace, with no possibility of ever being forsaken by him. Having come to Christ, we confess him (Romans 10:9-13). We confess our Saviour before God, the Church, and the world in believer’s baptism (Romans 6:1-6); and we confess him before men in daily conversation, bearing witness to others of his marvellous, free, saving grace. If we deny Christ before men in this world, he will deny us before the angels of God in the world to come. When our Saviour said, “he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God”, was not talking about an act of denying him, as Peter did. Such a horrid thing a true believer may do. Our Lord is here talking about a person who denies Christ and goes on denying him, a person who persists in denying him (2 Timothy 2:12; 1 John 2:23). Let us ever take care that we confess Christ before men. I am not talking about button-holing people, making a lot of religious noise, or obnoxiously badgering people with our religion. However, as God gives you opportunity, or in his providence constrains it, do not allow anyone or anything to make you ashamed of Christ. Confess him. I do not go around talking to people about my wife everywhere I go; but I never miss an opportunity to talk about her. It is not a forced thing, but very natural. I love her; and it is very natural to talk about someone you love. Should I ever be in a place where someone speaks ill of her, I would be ashamed if I did not speak boldly of her honour. If I failed to do so, she and all who observed such silence would have every reason to be suspicious of my professed love for her. Ever confess Christ before men. Never be ashamed of him, the gospel of his grace, and the goodness and mercy you experience at his hands. If we deny him, he will deny us. In the world to come we will reap the consequences of such cowardice and hypocrisy. In the Day of Judgment he will refuse to own us; he will refuse to plead for us; and he will refuse to be an Advocate for us. The Unpardonable Sin In Luke 12:10 our Lord warns us of that sin which shall not be forgiven, neither in this world nor in the world to come. “And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.” I will say no more about this than is obvious; but I will say no less. There is such a thing as the unpardonable sin. Many who spoke against the Son of man while he was upon the earth, not knowing who he is, were later converted and forgiven; but those who blaspheme against the Holy Ghost are forever damned (Matthew 12:31-32; Mark 3:28; 1 John 5:16). We must not make more of this warning than our Lord does. What is this unpardonable sin, this blasphemy against the Holy Spirit that shall never be forgiven? It is not difficult to show from the scriptures what this sin is not. The difficulty is showing clearly what it is. Our Saviour clearly declares the free, full, absolute, and everlasting forgiveness of all sin to all believers. “All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men.” “If we confess our sins”, no matter what they are, no matter how vile they are, no matter how many they are, no matter how old or how new they are, the Lord God “is faithful and just to forgive us our sins”, all of them, completely, and forever, “and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). “The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Yet, the Son of God does speak about one particular sin that is unpardonable. It is called “the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost”. What is “the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost?” “The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost” does not involve sins of ignorance. The distinction drawn between “speaking against the Son of man” and “speaking against (blaspheming) the Holy Ghost” must not be overlooked. The sin against Christ as the Son of man was committed out of ignorance by those who did not know that he is the Messiah. Therefore, they did not receive him, believe him, and obey him, but opposed, persecuted, and even crucified him. But they did it ignorantly (1 Corinthians 2:8), as Saul of Tarsus did (1 Timothy 1:13). This sin and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which our Saviour declares is unpardonable, is committed by men and women who wilfully persist in unbelief and obstinate impenitence, deliberately rejecting the counsel of God against themselves, and are therefore given up to a reprobate mind. J.C. Ryle accurately describes it as, “The union of the clearest head-knowledge of the gospel with deliberate rejection of it, and deliberate choice of sin and the world.” John Gill wrote, “It is a despiteful usage of the Spirit of grace, an opposing, contradicting, and denying of the operations wrought, or the doctrines revealed by him, against a man’s own light and conscience, out of a wilful and obstinate malice, on purpose to lessen the glory of God, and gratify his own lusts. Such was the sin of the Scribes and Pharisees; who, though they knew the miracles of Christ were wrought by the Spirit of God, yet maliciously and obstinately imputed them to the devil, with a view to obscure the glory of Christ, and indulge their own wicked passions.” This unpardonable sin is the wilful, deliberate rejection of Christ by one who is fully convinced that he is the Son of God and the only Saviour of sinners. It is a deliberate refusal to bow to him as Lord. It is choosing to save your life, rather than lose it to the dominion of the Son of God. It is nothing less than running over the top of the Son of God to get to hell! Those who are troubled with the fear that they may have committed this unpardonable sin, most assuredly have not done so! The one thing that always characterizes those people described in the scriptures as reprobate is a callousness and hardness that is the result of a seared conscience. When God gives a man up in reprobation, that man is no longer concerned for the glory of God, the knowledge of Christ, and the things of God. Lot’s wife, Pharaoh, King Saul, Ahab, and Judas Iscariot stand out as beacons to warn all. Each of them had crystal clear knowledge. Yet, each of them deliberately rejected Christ. They had light in their heads, but darkness in their hearts. Each of them today is in hell, suffering the wrath of God. Beware of despising the light God has given you. Do you know the truth? Then walk in the truth. Walk in the light God has given you. That is the only safeguard against the unpardonable sin. In the context in which this and our Lord’s other warnings about it are given, this blasphemy against the Holy Spirit appears to be that which was the preeminent crime of the Pharisees. It is the wilful, persistent rejection of the gospel, the wilful, persistent hardening of the heart against the claims of Christ in the gospel (2 Corinthians 2:14-16; Proverbs 1:23-33; Proverbs 29:1). No doubt, some who read these lines will ask themselves, with terror in their souls, “Have I committed this unpardonable sin? Have I committed this blasphemy against the Holy Ghost?” To you, I say again, the sin here described is a sin accompanied by utter deadness, hardness, and insensibility of heart. The person whose sin shall never be forgiven him is precisely the person who will not seek to have his sins forgiven. That is the very essence of his condemnation. God has left him alone! He is “twice dead”! Sin hardened and gospel hardened, his conscience is seared as with a hot iron (1 Timothy 4:2). Do not be so foolish as to trifle with such things. Come to Christ now. Trust him now. Today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your heart! God’s Promise In Luke 12:11-12 our Lord Jesus promises grace to help in time of need. “And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.” Whatever your trial may be, my brother, whatever your difficulty, my sister, as surely as God is on his throne, he who brings you into the trial will bring you through the trial; and he will do it in such a way that it will be obvious that he did it. He will give you what you need, when you need it, enabling you to persevere, enabling you to serve him, enabling you to honour him. “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

Luke 12:13-21

Chapter 77 The Parable Of The Rich Fool We have before us the parable of the rich fool. It sets before us a striking example of man’s readiness to mix wealth and godliness, as though the two were inseparable. We are told that a certain hearer of our Lord asked him to assist him about his temporal affairs. Here is a man who wanted what God had given to his brother (Luke 12:13). “Master”, he said, “speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.” How little this man knew of the Lord Jesus, or of his business in this world! He probably had some vague idea that the Lord Jesus was going to set up a kingdom in this world, and would reign upon earth as a mere earthly monarch. He certainly regarded him as a rabbi, a respected religious teacher. Therefore, he sought the Master’s help in securing an earthly inheritance. He tried to get the Son of God to cater to his covetousness. He should have set his heart on the world to come; but his heart was consumed with greed for this present perishing world and its wealth. When David envied the prosperity of the wicked, his very soul was horrified by his covetousness (Psalms 73). How many there are just like this man! Multitudes incessantly plan and scheme about the things of time, even under the very sound of things eternal! The natural heart of man is always the same. Even the preaching of Christ did not arrest the attention of all his hearers. Those who preach the gospel of Christ in the present day must never be surprised to see those for whose souls they labour consumed with worldliness, just as this poor man was Here is a man who tried to get Jehovah’s righteousness Servant involved in the affairs of state (Luke 12:14). “And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?” It would be a good thing if every gospel preacher would imitate our Master’s conduct in this. Let us walk in his steps. The less preachers have to do with secular things, the better. That applies most particularly to political and civil matters. The gospel preacher has no business involving himself in such drivel! When the preacher of the gospel undertakes any work except the preaching of the gospel, it is the work of the gospel that suffers.

God’s servants must be men of one thing! Let us confine ourselves exclusively to that one thing! “Give thyself wholly to these things”! Like Paul, let us be “separated unto the gospel”! Here is a man who was very covetous. He looked upon all he possessed as his own. He thought upon his treasure. It was the consuming thought of his heart. He looked upon his wealth as the fruit of his labour. He bestowed his goods to his barns, a hole in the ground! “And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods” (Luke 12:15-18). In response to this man’s request, the Lord Jesus pronounced a very solemn warning against covetousness. “He said unto them, take heed and beware of covetousness.” I am sure I am safe in saying that there is no evil to which our hearts are more prone than covetousness. It was covetousness that led God to cast down the angels who fell. They were not content with their first estate. They coveted something better. It was covetousness that drove Adam and Eve out of the garden and brought death into the world. Our first parents were not satisfied with the things God gave them in Eden.

They coveted, and so they fell. It is covetousness that, ever since the fall, has been the cause of misery and unhappiness in this world. Wars, quarrels, strifes, divisions, envyings, disputes, jealousies, hatreds of all sorts, both public and private, may nearly all be traced to this foul fountain. Let us hear the Master’s warning. Let us seek wisdom and grace to be content with such things as we have. Strive to learn the lesson that Paul learned, when he wrote, “I have learned in whatever state I am therewith to be content” (Philippians 4:11). Pray for a thorough confidence in God’s wise and good providence over all our earthly affairs, trusting his perfect wisdom in all his arrangements concerning us. If we have little, it would be not good for us to have much. If that which we have is taken away, there is a needs be. Happy is the man or woman who is persuaded that whatever is is best, and has ceased from vainly wishing for more. That person and that person alone is “content with such things as he has” (Hebrews 13:5). Idolatry comes in many packages and wears many names, but none is more deceitful, dangerous, and destructive than covetousness. How often the Word of God warns us to “beware of covetousness” (Colossians 3:2-5; Ephesians 5:5; 1 Timothy 6:10-11). Covetousness is an ardent desire for the things of this world, an undue affection for and attachment to the riches, pleasures, and comforts of this world. Some covet the world’s money, others its applause. Some covet the world’s fame, others its comforts. Some covet the world’s honour, others its pleasures. But all covetousness is idolatry. What fools they are who love and seek this world! We cannot be warned sufficiently of the danger of worldliness, that is of loving, seeking, and living for this world! “The fashion of this world passeth away”! Trying to hold to this world is like gripping sand. The tighter you grip it, the faster it slips away. If you love and seek the things of this world, you cannot love and serve the Lord God (Matthew 6:24; James 4:4; 1 John 2:15-17). Nothing is more likely to ruin our souls than “covetousness, which is idolatry”! Nothing will more effectually keep a person from faith in Christ than “covetousness, which is idolatry” (Luke 18:18-26). Nothing is more likely to turn the hearts of men away from Christ and the gospel than “covetousness, which is idolatry”! “The care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word” (Matthew 13:22). May the Spirit of God inscribe these words upon our hearts: “Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of things which he possesseth”! If we would avoid this snare of Satan, we must set our affection on things above and get our priorities in order. Seek grace to honour God in the use of those things with which you have been trusted. Use what God has given you for hospitality and the thoughtful care of others. Be generous. Out of our abundance, let us ever minister to those who are in need and generously provide for the preaching of the gospel around the world. Our Lord Jesus clearly displays the folly of worldliness. He gave this parable a rich man who was a fool[14]. His heart and mind were set on earthly things. He schemed and planned for his wealth, and ways to secure it. He acted as if he was master of his life, as if had but to say, “I will do a thing”, and it would be done. [14] The rich man talks of “my” barns, “my” fruits, “my” goods, with all the self-sufficiency and petty importance of one who knows no will but his own. and no master but his own selfishness. It should remind us of Nabal’s language in 1 Samuel 25:11. Of him, too, it is written, “Fool is his name, and folly is with him” (1 Samuel 25:25). Then the picture changes. God required the worldling’s soul, and asked, “Whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?” “Folly”, nothing less than “folly”, is the right word by which to describe the conduct of the man who thinks of nothing but his money. The man who “lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God”, is the man whom God declares to be a “fool”. The character our Lord brings before us in this parable is very common. Multitudes in every age of the world have lived continually doing the very things that are here condemned. Multitudes are doing them at this very day. They are laying up treasure upon earth, and thinking of nothing but how to increase their riches. They continually add to their riches, as if they were to enjoy them forever, as if there was no death, no judgment, and no world to come. These are the men who are called clever, and prudent, and wise! These are the men who are commended, and flattered, and held up to admiration! Truly, “the Lord seeth not as man seeth”! The Lord declares that the rich man who lives only for this world is a “fool”! Nothing is more dangerous to the souls of men than riches. “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” He who is given wealth is in great danger. A very eminent, wealthy man, said on his deathbed, “Heaven is a place to which few kings and rich men come.” Even those wealthy men and women who are converted by the grace of God carry a great weight and run the race to heaven under great disadvantages. The possession of money has a hardening effect upon the conscience. We never know what we may do when we become rich. “The love of money is the root of all evil. While some have coveted after it, they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:10). Poverty has many disadvantages; but riches are dangerous. Here is a man who speaks to his soul. “And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry” (Luke 12:19). Oh, how sad it is to read of a man speaking to his soul in such a way! Someone said, “If this man had only had the sense of a hog, what other thing could he have said?” In spiritual matters, multitudes think themselves rich before God, rich in righteous deeds, rich in knowledge, and rich in grace, and say to themselves, “All is well”, when nothing is well. Those who know God and experience his free grace in Christ know that they are poor and seek riches in heaven, seeking Christ and his righteousness. “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven … Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:3; Matthew 5:6). Here is a question for my soul and yours: Are we rich toward God? “But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:20-21). Blessed are they who are rich toward God! O soul, Seek to be rich toward God! This is true wisdom. This is truly providing for time to come. This is genuine prudence. The wise man is he who does not think only of earthly treasure, but of treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:31-33; Colossians 3:1-3). When can it be said of a man, that he is rich towards God? Never, until he is rich in grace, and rich in faith. Never, until he has come to Christ, and bought of him gold tried in the fire (Revelation 3:18). Never, until he has a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens! Never, until, by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, he reads his name inscribed in the book of life, and is made an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ! He that is rich toward God, acknowledges that he receives all his riches from God. He gives all into the hands of God. He depends upon the providence of God. He seeks to use all he has for the honour and glory, the furtherance of the gospel, and the good of men’s souls. He who is rich toward God is principally concerned for the riches of God’s grace and glory in Christ. He who is rich toward God has Christ! Such a man is truly rich! Rich with grace (Ephesians 1:3), rich in grace (Galatians 5:22-23), rich with forgiveness, rich in righteousness, rich in glory. Such a man, I say, is truly rich! His treasure is incorruptible. His bank never breaks. His inheritance fades not away. Man cannot deprive him of it. Death cannot snatch it out of his hands. All things are his already: life, death, things present, and things to come (1 Corinthians 3:23). Best of all, what he has now is nothing to what he will have hereafter. The eternal riches of God’s free grace in Christ are within reach of every sinner who comes to Christ. Never rest until they are yours, until the Son of God says to you, “Thou art rich” (Revelation 2:9; 1 John 2:15-17; 1 Timothy 6:6-11; 1 Timothy 6:17-19; Proverbs 21:26; Ecclesiastes 5:10; Job 21:7-15; Proverbs 8:18-21).

Luke 12:22-31

Chapter 79 First Things First When our daughter was a child, my wife and I tried to teach her to look beyond the end of her nose. Even as a small child, we tried to get her to focus her attention on things that really mattered. That did not mean that she was not allowed to play games, have fun, and enjoy the various stages of her childhood. Not at all. But we did work at not allowing her to live for games and fun and frivolity. Why? Because a child that grows up without learning responsibility is likely to live that way for the rest of his/her life. Such a child grows up to be a miserable, useless, self-centred, whining adult. We did not want that for our daughter, any more than you want that for your children. So we constantly pressed her to keep her priorities in order and to keep her mind focused on things that really matter. Why was it necessary for us to constantly remind her of the importance of these things? The sad fact is, unless we are continually reminded that some things are unimportant, other things slightly important, other things very important, and a few things most important, we will all spend our lives pursuing, worrying about, and crying over things that are utterly insignificant, while neglecting those things that are truly important. In the passage before us the Lord Jesus tells us to get our priorities focused. Remember the context. Our Lord has just given us the parable of the rich fool, telling us that those who live for this world, neglecting their immortal souls, are fools. Then, he gives us the rich, instructive words found in Luke 12:22-31. We will have that upon which we set our hearts. So, “set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:2). A Fact To Remember “And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment” (Luke 12:22-23). Here is a fact to remember. There is more to life than the gratification of animal cravings and the adornment of the body. Yet, these are the things about which all men and women most naturally devote most of their thoughts and energy. This is the very thing Paul is talking about when he says, “Having food and raiment, let us therewith be content” (1 Timothy 4:8). We only live in these bodies. Life is what is inside the body. Life is not that which is sustained by meat; but that which is sustained by grace. Beauty is not something you can buy in a clothing store, or in a plastic surgeon’s office. Beauty is the hidden man of the heart, Christ Jesus, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27; 1 Peter 3:1-6). Some Things To Consider Here are some things to consider. Our Saviour is calling us away from the care of the world and calling us to faith, calling us to honour God by believing him. He does so by pointing out some things that ought to be obvious to every kindergarten child. They may seem to be simple, insignificant, almost trivial lessons to carnal minds; but the things mentioned in this passage are matters of deepest importance. The more I ponder them, the weightier they become. The more I study them, the more profound they appear. Consider the ravens. “Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?” (Luke 12:24). If God Almighty condescends to provide for the needs of a bird, a raven at that, if he orders the affairs of providence to give the ravens their daily food, is it reasonable for us to ever imagine that he might fail to provide for us? Consider yourself. “And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?” (Luke 12:25). The word here translated “stature” should probably be translated “life”, or “age”, as it is in John 9:21; John 9:23 and Hebrews 11:11. What our Lord is saying here is that none of us can, by any means, add one thing to the height of our physical frames, or to our age, or to the days of our lives. Our days are “as an handbreadth” (Psalms 39:5). Considerably less than one cubit! If we are not able to add anything to the number of our days on this earth, it is utterly absurd to spend our time and energy fretting about how we can do so! “If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?” (Luke 12:26). Far better it is for us to say with David, “My times are in thy hands”, and rejoice to know that it is so. Consider the lilies. “Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?” (Luke 12:27-28). If the Lord God every year provides the lilies with fresh foliage and fresh blooms, how absurd it is for us to imagine that he might fail to clothe us today, or tomorrow. Consider the heathen. “For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things” (Luke 12:30). What a shame it is for God’s people to grovel like the heathen of this world after the things of the world. If God is my Father and Christ my Saviour and the Holy Spirit my Comforter, if heaven is my home and eternity is the span of my life, I ought not find it difficult to live above the cares of and anxieties of the heathen. Faith in Christ ought to make my heart light. The light of eternity ought to make the things of earth grow dim. Heavenly glory ought to make the baubles of earth utterly insignificant to me. Consider your Father. “Your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things” (Luke 12:30). This fact alone ought to make us perfectly content. All our needs in this world are perfectly known to our Father, the Lord of heaven and earth. He can relieve our needs whenever he sees fit; and he will relieve our needs whenever it is best for us that they be relieved. He who spared not his own Son, but delivered him up to death to ransom our souls, he who gave us his darling Son will not fail to give us everything we need. Let us consider these facts. May God the Holy Spirit write them upon the tables of our hearts and cause them to bring forth fruit in our lives. Nothing is more common to men than worrying about things over which they have no control. Nothing is more contradictory to our professed faith in the living God than worrying about the things of this world and our lives in it. And nothing so honours our God as confidently trusting him. “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever” (Psalms 23:1-6). A Call To Faith Here is a call to faith in our God. “If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things” (Luke 12:28-30). Oh, may God the Holy Spirit create and sustain in our souls confident faith in God our Saviour, teaching us day by day to trust his infinite wisdom, goodness, grace, love, power, promises, faithfulness, and mercy, teaching us day by day to rest in his providence! A Kingdom To Seek In Luke 12:31 our Lord directs our hearts heavenward and tells us of a kingdom to seek. “But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.” We all know that our first priority in life ought to be the kingdom and glory of our God. We must not give our hearts to this world. Let us not live as though we were animals, without immortal souls. May God give us grace to live as men and women who are constantly aware that our lives in this world are but a very brief prelude to another world, as men and women with immortal souls to be saved or lost. You and I have a death to die, a God to meet, a judgment to face, and an eternity awaiting us! Those things need to be ever before our hearts and minds. But when can it be said that a person is seeking the kingdom of God? Am I seeking the kingdom of God? Are you? I know this: The kingdom of God is the only thing worth seeking! And I know this: A person is seeking the kingdom of God when he is living in the pursuit of Christ. “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14; Philippians 3:3-14). A Promise From Christ Here is a promise from Christ to content our hearts. “All these things shall be added unto you” (Luke 12:31). That person who sets his heart upon Christ and eternity shall never lack anything in this world that he needs. He shall always have exactly enough of everything (Psalms 37:25; Psalms 84:11; Isaiah 3:10; Isaiah 33:16; Romans 8:28-35; Psalms 23:1-6).

Luke 12:23-31

Chapter 78 “Neither Be Ye Of Doubtful Mind” In this passage, our Saviour bids us care for our souls and the eternal interests of our immortal souls. Our chief concern regarding ourselves ought to be our hearts, specifically our hearts’ relationship to God. Solomon said, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Most people take great care in adorning their bodies, but give little thought to the ornaments of the soul. The feeding of the body involves much care, but the supply of spiritual food is neglected. But our bodies are only the abode in which we dwell for a time. We are living souls!

The soul is immortal. The body will soon become food for worms. How I wish we could grasp this fact! “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:36-37). Trust God’s Providence The Son of God calls our attention to the higher and nobler part of our beings, and bids us see to it that our souls are in a right state. He here teaches us, his true disciples, to seek God’s grace, to trust him as our Lord and Saviour, and to make certain that all is well with our souls. But our Lord’s instruction in this passage is principally about trusting his wise and good providence in the everyday affairs of our lives. No doubt there are some people who are in easier circumstances than others, some who are in positions where they enjoy many comforts, while others are in places where they suffer many hardships. But our circumstances have little to do with our lives in reality. Our circumstances are temporary and change quickly. Happiness, contentment, peace of mind are not found in circumstances, but in our inner beings, in our soundness of heart, in our minds. The inner man has far more to do with one’s joy or sorrow than anything outside us. There have been some who have been perfectly free in a prison, while others have been in absolute bondage with wide estates to roam over. I have known some, whose spirits have triumphed when all around has tended to depress them. I have seen others, who were wretched and despondent when they had, apparently, all that heart could wish. It is the heart, the mind, the soul, that is the main thing. Your inner self is that which brings you daylight or midnight, wealth or poverty, peace or war. If we spent half the time, energy, and care on our souls that we spend in trying to better our circumstances we would be in a far better condition. We would all be wise to concentrate on fitting circumstances to our hearts rather than trying to fit our hearts to our circumstances. Try as you may, you cannot alter the world in which your lot is cast, and you cannot alter God’s providential arrangements. Would it not be better to alter yourself to God’s providence and be resigned to his will? Of course it would! Indoor Work Did you ever notice how often, in the Book of God, the inspired writers of holy scripture busied themselves with what one old writer called “indoor work” the work that has to be done within one’s own heart? “Bless the Lord, O my soul”, says David, in the 103rd Psalm; “and all that is within me, bless his holy name.” This indoor work always pays best; and our Lord Jesus, in his exhortations, constantly urges us to attend to it. He said to his disciples, “Let not your heart be troubled.” A little later, he said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation.” He says the same to his disciples in every age. We cannot avoid tribulation. Yet, our Master says, “Let not your heart be troubled.” All the water in the sea will not hurt your ship so long as you keep it outside. The danger starts when it gets inside the ship. It matters little what is outside you, if all is right within. So long as the Dove of heaven in our hearts enables us to sing sweetly of the love of God and causes the flower “heart’s-ease” to bloom in our souls, we can and will be at peace; content, and joyful in the wilderness of trouble, the desert of care, and the raging sea of tribulation. As C. H. Spurgeon put it, “A hurricane of afflictions may beat about you, yet you shall be a blessed man, for all the elements of blessedness are within your own heart. God has given them to you, and the devil himself cannot take them away.” Doubtful Mind This is God’s message to you and me: “Seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind” (Luke 12:29). The language used by our Lord in this verse is very unusual. The word translated “doubtful” is not used anywhere else in the New Testament. It means “mid-air.” It appears to have something to do with meteors, so that the passage might be rendered, “Neither be ye of meteoric mind.” Even more literally, we might read it, “Neither have your mind in the clouds”, or “Do not have a cloudy mind.” Our Lord’s word here is an imperative command. He is saying, “Stop seeking what you shall eat or what you shall drink, and stop living in suspense.” He is telling us to quit living like birds in the air, flighty and unsettled. He is saying, “Do not let your mind be tossed about like clouds in the air by every wind of circumstance.” The word “doubtful” is so pregnant with meaning that I have no hope of expounding it. Rather, I will simply give you some of the things suggested by it. “Neither be ye of doubtful mind.” Stop Being Anxious The first thing our Lord requires of us here is this: Child of God, stop being anxious. Stop worrying. Stop being tossed up and down by your outward circumstances. If God prospers you, do not allow that to make you soar. If he empties you, do not allow that to make you sink. If God sends you a little pleasure, do not allow that to put your head in the clouds. If he sends you heaviness and sorrow, do not allow that to put your head in the dust. Stop being so greatly affected by external things. Stop worrying! Do not allow your heart to fret. Cease from your anxious care about your circumstances. “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you” (Philippians 4:4-9). “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:1-3). Our Saviour’s injunction in Luke 12:29 means, “Do not be anxious about your temporal affairs.” Be prudent. We have no right to spend the money of other people, nor even our own, in wastefulness. We are to be careful and discreet. Every believer should constantly remember that he is only a steward, and that he is accountable to his Master for whatever he has, and the use he makes of it. But when we have done our best with what God has trusted to our hands, do not worry because you cannot make more of it. And when you have done your best to meet your expenses, do not sit down, and wring your hands because you cannot make them less. I cannot turn a dime into a dollar. If I must sometimes live from hand to mouth, that is God’s purpose. He commonly feeds his children with daily manna. Seldom does he give bread to his own for weeks and months and years, but daily. Why, then, should we be staggered, much less astonished by such experiences? It is irresponsible for anyone to live greedily and bring hardship upon himself and his family because he can never have enough toys. But it is insane to fret about things over which you have absolutely no control. All the worrying in the world will not alter what is, has been, or shall be. Have you ever made any profit by biting your nails and pacing the floor? Have you ever gained anything by worrying? I have never seen anyone get comfort from the blanket of worry. I have never seen anyone fetch grist to the mill by fretting, or any meal to the barrel. Perhaps you are thinking, “I know that is right, but I cannot help fretting and worrying.” I beg your pardon. Are you a believer? The Lord Jesus says to you, “Stop worrying.” “Stop being of a doubtful mind.” That means stop. And he would not tell us to stop, if we could not stop. Would he? No. The fact is, our worrying is a matter of disobedience and unbelief. More than that, we only make matters worse by worrying. Have you not always found that to be the case? It is not our difficulty that makes us unfit for anything, but our unbelief that makes us unfit for our difficulties. In all the troubles of our lives, we would be wise to heed the often repeated words of Moses to the children of Israel before the Red Sea: “Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord”! “The battle is not yours, but the Lord’s.” “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish. Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought. For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 41:10-14). “He sits a Sovereign on his throne And ruleth all things well”? Our Saviour demands that we stop worrying, and cast all our care upon him, because he truly does care for us. Stop Being Ambitious Worry has far more to do with proud, personal ambition than any of us want to acknowledge. So, I cannot fail to show you second, that another meaning of our Lord’s admonition is “Stop being ambitious.” God’s word to Baruch is God’s word to us all. “Seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not. Behold, that which I have built will I break down, and that which I have planted will I pluck up” (Jeremiah 45:4-5). Most of us are too much like meteors in the sky, soaring high with great thoughts about ourselves, but sporadic and unstable. That ought not be. May God give us grace to seek wisdom not wealth, faith not fame, and patience not praise. We all need to have the wings of our proud ambition clipped. We ought not soar so high as we do in ambition for ourselves. We ought to strive to be great, and stop striving for greatness. We ought to be ambitious for goodness, not for glory. We ought to seek acceptance with God, not the applause of men. We ought to be ambitious for favour with God, not fame among men. Stop Being Unstable A third meaning of the Saviour’s exhortation is this: “Stop being unstable in your mind.” We ought to be men and women of resolute, decisive, stable character. If you look at the context, you will see that this meaning fits very well. Many there are who are time-servers. Their thoughts are consumed with what they shall eat, or what they shall drink, or how they shall be clothed. They are always watching to see which is the best way to go to get what they want. As the old proverb has it, “they know on which side their bread is buttered.” They wait to see which way the wind blows, and then are moved with great passion in the same direction. God’s people are cut from different cloth. Grace makes people resolute, decisive, and stable. “God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Like Jephthah of old, having lifted their hands to the Lord, they cannot and will not go back. Like Joshua, they are determined, no matter which way the tide runs, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Our Lord says, to you and me, “Neither be ye of doubtful mind.” The long and short of it is this, in any circumstance, at any time, tell me what is right, and you have told me what I must do. If I give consideration to anything else, I will not do what I know is right. Show me God’s will, and you have shown me my path. If I give consideration to anyone else’s will I will not do God’s will. If we would walk with God, we must not confer with flesh and blood (Galatians 1:16). Stop Doubting God Fourth, our Lord Jesus here says to his believing people, “Stop being of a doubtful mind with regard to God’s goodness, grace and mercy. Neither be ye of doubtful mind regarding your soul’s salvation.” There are many who are not saved who are very confident that they are. There are many, who know nothing of the grace of God who sing, and sing with great liveliness, Blessed assurance! Jesus is mine, O what a foretaste of glory divine! Such presumption is deadly. But, then, there are those who make doubt a vital point of godliness. That too is horrible. Our Lord says to you who trust him, and to me, no matter what our circumstances, no matter what our feelings, no matter what our failings may be, no matter how great, “Neither be ye of doubtful mind”! Our salvation is a matter of faith, not of feeling. Child of God, hear and heed the word of your Saviour, “Neither be ye of doubtful mind”! We have entirely too many fears for a people to whom the Lord God has said, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness” (Isaiah 41:10). Why can’t we believe God? Has he not proved his great faithfulness to us? David heard God’s promise and believed him. His faith in God gave quietness to his heart. God’s promises quietened his fears. Did they not? “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me” (Psalms 23:4). “I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety” (Psalms 4:8). “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up” (Psalms 27:10). We have far too much anxiety and worry about earthly, material things for a people to whom the Son of God has said, “Why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?” (Matthew 6:28-30). It is written in the scriptures, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). Why should I worry, fret and pace the floor by day and by night, when God my Saviour has promised that my Father will for his sake provide me with everything I need in this world? Why should I concern myself about that which God, who cannot lie, has promised? “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” (Matthew 6:31-34). We have far too many doubts concerning God’s mercy, love and grace for a people to whom the Lord Jesus Christ has said, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37). Our shameful, sinful, baseless doubts are inexcusable. “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand” (John 10:28). Upon what grounds dare we call into question the mercy, love and grace of God? We have absolutely no reason to entertain any doubt concerning him! Did he promise; and shall he not fulfil it? Perish the thought! The scripture says, “he that believeth on the Son of God hath everlasting life.” I believe the Son of God. I have life! Why should we question that, ever? Paul was a sinner, just like us, saved by grace, just like us. He did not question God’s promise (2 Timothy 1:12; 2 Timothy 4:6-8; Romans 8:33-39). I am not going to doubt God’s love because of something I have thought, or said, or done. His love is unconditional and free! I am not going to question his grace because of my sin. His grace superabounds where sin is found! I am not going to be suspicious of his mercy because I do not deserve his mercy. His mercy is for the undeserving! I am not going to doubt his faithfulness because of my unfaithfulness. His faithfulness stands forever! “If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself” (2 Timothy 2:13). “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity” (2 Timothy 2:19). We spend entirely too much time grumbling and complaining about our trials and troubles for a people to whom the Lord Jesus has said. “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). We ought not be surprised when troubles come our way. We ought to be surprised when they don’t come! As long as we live in this world, we are going to have trials, troubles, temptations and sorrows. God in Israel sows the seeds Of affliction, pain and toil. These spring up and choke the weeds That would else o’erspread the soil. Every ounce of gold that has ever been perfected and made valuable has been refined by fire. And if God puts the gold of his grace in us, he will also make us pass through the fire. “Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction” (Isaiah 48:10). “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you” (1 Peter 4:12). Trouble is not a strange thing. For the believer, the absence of trouble is a strange thing. Yet, when we meet with some great difficulty, some heavy trial, some heart-breaking sorrow, though we may not say it, our first shameful, wicked thought is usually, “Why me?” Our first thought really ought to be, “Why not me?” Shall I be carried to the skies On flowery beds of ease, While others fought to win the prize And sailed through bloody seas?

Our trials are nothing compared to what others have had to endure before us. Our sorrows are nothing compared to the sorrows our Master endured to have us. Our grief is nothing compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us! We have entirely too much attachment to this world and to this present life, for a people who are looking for a city whose Builder and Maker is God (Hebrews 11:8-10; 2 Corinthians 5:1). We know that “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” We have a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Believers are a people who long to be with Christ. Yet, it is so difficult for us to be torn loose from this present existence called “life”. The only way for us to be delivered from these carnal principles, the only way we will ever be delivered from the cares of this world, the only way we will ever be saved from our fears, concerns, doubts, grumblings, and attachments to this world is to find something better. Our religious works will be dropped like a hot potato, if we ever see and get hold of Christ’s finished work. Our boasted good deeds will be of no value, if we are allowed and made to see what Christ has done for sinners. Our righteousnesses will appear to us as they really are, as filthy rags, if ever we behold the righteousness of God in Christ. Our goodliness will wither and die like mown grass in a furnace, if we ever see the goodness and glory of God in Christ (Isaiah 6:1-6). If ever we see Christ there will be no more, argument about our goodness, debate about our worth, or fuss about our will. Even so, our fears, our doubts, our grumblings, our complaints against our little trials, our complaints against our God’s providence and purpose will disappear in proportion to the faith we have in his promises (Isaiah 43:1-5; Isaiah 46:4; Romans 8:28-35). The more fully I believe his “I WILL”, the less I will fear. The less I believe his “I WILL”, the more I will fear.

Luke 12:32-40

Chapter 80 “Your Father’s Good Pleasure” What tremendous words of consolation, instruction, and hope we have before us in this passage. How well our Master knows our hearts! How quick he is to condescend to our low estate and meet our needs! A Soul-cheering Assurance The first thing I see in our text is a soul-cheering assurance. “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). Our Lord Jesus knew that these disciples were filled with many fears, and that we would often be tossed about with the same. They were few in number. Their adversaries were many and great. They had to face great difficulties. They were but weak, sinful men.

They had a great work to do. And they knew themselves unworthy and altogether insufficient for the work. Being aware of all these fears that these disciples faced, all the fears that we must face, our ever gracious Redeemer speaks this word of grace: “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” In that one, golden sentence, he gives us great assurances to comfort our hearts and cheer our souls. God’s church in this world is a “little flock”. The word might be better translated “very little flock”. The fact is, God’s people in this world are now, always have been, and always shall be but a very little flock. There are multitudes who wear the name of Christ, multitudes who meet regularly in houses of worship, multitudes who have a profession of faith; but true believers are always but a very little flock in this world. We ought never to be surprised by this fact. It is vain to expect it to be otherwise, “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:14). There shall always be a remnant according to the election of grace; but God’s elect shall always be but a remnant, until our Lord comes again. Yes, God’s people are but a very little flock; but we are his little flock! Christ is our Shepherd. He chose us to be his sheep. He bought us with his blood. He sought us out and found us. He is carrying us home. He will never let us go. We are constantly under his tender care. This passage also assures us that we have a great and gracious Father. You and I are tenderly loved by God the Father, who has made himself our Father. What a privilege! The God of Glory is our heavenly Father. He adopted us as his dear children. He rejoices over us as the objects of his love. He sees no spot in us. He delights in us as he delights in Christ. He receives us graciously. He is well-pleased with us in Christ, even as he is well-pleased with Christ. Even now, when the holy Lord God looks down upon us from heaven, with all our fears and infirmities, he sees us in Christ and smiles with approval, just as fully as he shall when he presents us before his glory and welcomes us into his kingdom (Jude 1:24-25). Because our heavenly Father is well-pleased with his chosen in Christ, as one with Christ, it is our Father’s good pleasure to give us his kingdom. “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” There is a glorious, eternal kingdom awaiting us, a kingdom of our Father’s pleasure which he delights to give us. Here we are troubled, tried, and tempted. We are mocked, ridiculed, and despised. We are counted the off-scouring of the earth. But that will not be the case for long (Romans 8:18; Colossians 3:4; Revelation 19:1-9). It is our Father’s good pleasure to give us his kingdom, all of it; and that which God is pleased to do, God will do. Are you a part of God’s little flock? If we are a part of this flock, we have nothing to fear. Our God has given us exceeding great and precious promises (2 Peter 1:4), and they are all yea and amen in Christ Jesus. God is ours. Christ is ours. Eternity is ours. All things are ours. The world, the flesh and the devil may oppose us; but God is for us. And, “if God be for us, who can be against us?” A Heart-searching Fact Next, in Luke 12:33-34 I see a heart searching fact. “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Our Saviour’s exhortations are plain and demanding, but plain and unmistakable. “Sell that ye have.” He says, “Give alms.” His requirement is, “provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.” Then, he adds this heart-searching fact: “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” We are to sell what we have. Without question this is a figurative thing, not to be taken literally. There is nothing in the New Testament that suggests that a person is to impoverish himself, or sell off his property to be a follower of Christ. On the contrary, we are required to faithfully and diligently provide for our families (1 Timothy 5:8). What, then, is the meaning of this exhortation? It is just this: We are to sell, or give up anything and everything that stands between us and Christ. This is an exhortation to self-denial. Faith in Christ involves the giving of our lives, of all that we are and have to the dominion and disposal of our Lord. Next, the Lord Jesus teaches us that we are to give. The giving of alms speaks of charity and kindness to those in need. We are to be more ready to use what God has trusted to our hands for the benefit of others, particularly for the benefit of his kingdom and the furtherance of the gospel, than to hoard it up for ourselves and to gratify our carnal lust for earthly things. The New Testament teaches nothing about tithing; but it teaches us much about giving. All of 1 Corinthians 9, 2 Corinthians 8, and 2 Corinthians 9 are taken up with this subject. But there are no commands to the people of God anywhere in the New Testament about how much we are to give, when we are to give, or where we are to give. Tithing and all systems like it are things altogether foreign to the New Testament. Like all other acts of worship, giving is an act of grace. It must be free and voluntary. Yet, there are some plain, simple guidelines laid down in the New Testament for us to follow. Christian giving must be motivated by love and gratitude for Christ (2 Corinthians 8:8-9). Love needs no law. It is a law unto itself. It is the most powerful and most generous of all motives. Our gifts must arise from willing hearts (2 Corinthians 8:12). If that which we give arises from a willing heart, if it is given freely and cheerfully, it is accepted of God. The Lord is not concerned with the amount of our gift, be it great or small. He looks to the motive behind it. We should give to the work of the gospel in proportion to our blessings from the Lord (1 Corinthians 16:2). We are expected to give generously in accordance with our own ability. All of God’s people should give; “everyone” (1 Corinthians 16:2); “every man” (2 Corinthians 9:7). Men and women, rich and poor, old and young, all who are saved by the grace of God are expected to give for the support of God’s church and kingdom. We should be both liberal and sacrificial in our giving (2 Corinthians 9:5-6). We have not really given anything until we have taken that which we need, want and have use for and given it to the Lord (Mark 12:41-44). Our gifts must be voluntary (2 Corinthians 9:7). We are to give as unto the Lord (Matthew 6:1-5). We give, not to be seen of men, but for the honour of Christ, hoping for nothing in return. This kind of giving is well-pleasing to God (Philippians 4:18; Hebrews 13:16). Then our Lord here tells us to provide ourselves treasure in the heavens. That is to say, we are to make our calling and election sure, to lay hold of eternal life, to make certain that Christ is ours. This is true wisdom. This is true prudence. As J. C. Ryle put it … “The man who does well for himself is the man who gives up everything for Christ’s sake. He makes the best of bargains. He carries the cross for a few years in this world, and in the world to come has everlasting life. He obtains the best of possessions. He carries his riches with him beyond the grave. He is rich in grace here and rich in glory hereafter. And, best of all, what he obtains by faith in Christ he never loses. It is that good part which is never taken away.” “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Where is your treasure? If we will be honest, that question will be easily answered. What do we love? What occupies our hearts and minds? Upon what is our affection set? It matters nothing what we say, what we profess to believe, how orthodox our creed is, or how highly respected we are by others. Where is our treasure? That is where our heart is. If our treasure is here, our hearts are here. If our treasure is in heaven, our hearts are in heaven. A Readiness For Christ Third, our Lord shows us what it is to be ready for his glorious second advent. “Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not” (Luke 12:35-40). We have here a picture of what we ought to be at all times. We ought to be a people watching for Christ’s return, always living upon the tiptoe of faith and expectation (Titus 2:11-14). If we would live in the relentless anticipation of Christ’s return, we must gird up our loins, ready always to do our Master’s bidding. We must ever have our lights burning, watching for and welcoming our Lord. Luke 12:37 is one of the most remarkable passages to be found in all the volume of holy scripture. “Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.” Christ is coming again. He is coming now (Revelation 1:7). When he comes, he will gird himself, make us sit down at his table, and serve us! What can that mean? We have a hint of this in Luke 22:18. “For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.” There is reference to this back in Isaiah 25:6. “And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.” The meaning of this promise is indescribably beyond the scope of my comprehension; but of this I am sure: there is no degree of honour, glory, happiness, and bliss that the Lord Jesus Christ will withhold from those who love his appearing (John 14:1-3; Revelation 1:7; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2 Timothy 4:8). “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom”! Fear not, O little flock, the foe Who madly seeks your overthrow; Dread not his rage and power; What though your courage sometimes faints, His seeming triumph o’er God’s saints Lasts but a little hour. Be of good cheer; your cause belongs To Him who can avenge your wrongs; Leave it to Him our Lord. Though hidden yet from all our eyes, He sees the Gideon who shall rise; To save us, and His word. As true as God’s own word is true, Not earth nor hell with all their crew Against us shall prevail. A jest and by-word are they grown; God is with us, we are His own, Our victory cannot fail. Amen, Lord Jesus, grant our prayer! Great Captain, now Thine arm make bare; Fight for us once again. So shall thy saints and martyrs raise A mighty chorus to Thy praise, World without end. Jacob Fabricius

Luke 12:41-48

Chapter 81 God’s Servants: The Faithful And The Evil Poor Peter, it appears that he always had his foot in his mouth. But how many of us, like him, have heard a message, maybe a little biting, and thought to ourselves, if we did not openly ask, “Was he talking to me?” Peter just blurted it out. He said, “Lord, were you talking to us or to everybody?” The Lord Jesus seems to have just ignored the question; but he really didn’t. He gave the same instruction again in more detail. In these verses our Saviour again gives us a parable in which he describes two servants, one faithful, the other evil. Notice that both the faithful and the evil are the Lord’s servants. The fact is, all things serve the gracious purposes of God toward his elect (Proverbs 16:4; Proverbs 21:1; Psalms 76:10). Satan is as much the servant of God, though unwillingly, as Gabriel is willingly. The fallen angels, the very demons of hell, are as fully the servants of God, though they despise him, as are the angels of heaven who adore him. Every human being is the servant of God, too. Some of us rejoice in that fact. What a privilege is ours to serve the living God! Others despise the thought of God’s dominion; but they are nonetheless under God’s dominion and serve his purposes (Romans 8:28; Romans 11:36; Ephesians 1:11). Our God rules everywhere, everything, and everyone, totally and absolutely! Even those evil men who are false prophets and messengers of Satan, deceiving the souls of men with their perverse doctrine, are the servants of our God, sovereignly used by him to accomplish his purpose (1 Corinthians 11:19). This parable is a word of instruction, inspiration, and warning to those men who stand in the house of God as his servants. God’s Faithful Servants In Luke 12:42-44 our Lord gives us a description of God’s faithful servants. Without question, the instruction of the parable may be applied to every believer in his particular calling in life. We who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ gladly bow to his dominion as our Lord. We are his servants. Our lives are spent in his service. Whatever your particular gifts are, whatever your station in life may be, that is the place of your calling and service in the kingdom of God where you are to use your gifts for the glory of Christ and the good of his people. Be God’s faithful servant where you are. Those men who are gifted of God to be preachers and teachers in his church and are not called and gifted as pastors, are also his servants. They ought to be highly regarded as such. God gifts some local churches with more than one man, sometimes with many men who are clearly gifted of God as preachers and teachers of the Word, though only one is gifted and called to pastor the assembly. Those men are to be heard and treated with the respect that their gifts demand, as the servants of God. But in this passage our Lord is talking about that specific group of men who are trusted of God with the care of his household as pastors of local churches (Luke 12:42). What a great trust (2 Corinthians 4:7; Ephesians 3:7-8). You may never be a pastor; but you will, as long as you are in this world, need the services of a faithful pastor. You will be wise to know what to expect from God’s servant, how to pray for him, and how best to assist him in the work God has trusted to his hands. And you need to know how to recognize and distinguish between a faithful and an evil servant. You will be wise to ask God the Holy Spirit to teach you the things here taught by the Son of God. In these verses our Lord Jesus Christ describes his faithful servant, a faithful gospel preacher, a faithful pastor by four things in which he is distinguished from a self-serving false prophet. These four things describe and are characteristic of God’s true servants in every age of the church and in every place where gospel churches are found. His Position God’s servant is here described as one “whom his lord hath made ruler over his household.” The church of God is his household, the household of faith, and the household of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is God’s family and God’s church, not mine, not yours, not this or that denomination’s, but the Lord’s! It is God’s house and God’s temple (1 Corinthians 3:16-17; Ephesians 3:15; 1 Timothy 3:15). In the family of God there are some fathers, some young men, and some children. There are some who are strong and some who are weak. There are some who are very independent and need little attention, and some who need a good bit of attention. Each one has been placed in his house and family exactly according to the Master’s will. God ordained pastors have been placed by him as rulers over his household. They are not tyrants, dictators, or lords over God’s household, but rulers placed over the house to govern it as stewards under Christ (Acts 20:28; 1 Timothy 3:4-5; Hebrews 13:7; Hebrews 13:17). Most preachers these days are Junebug preachers. The church, the deacon board, the board of elders, or the denomination has a string tied to his leg and controls everything he does, like a little boy ties a string around a Junebug’s leg. Not God’s servants. God’s servants serve his people; but they are not controlled by them. Where in the word of God can you find a prophet, or a preacher who was ruled, governed, or even influenced by the will of the people to whom he was sent to preach? The only preacher like that you can find in the Book of God is a hireling prophet. God’s servants are responsible under God to rule his house by his Word, according to his revealed will (2 Timothy 3:16). A faithful steward rules his Master’s house exactly according to his Master’s will. As he does, all in the house are expected to honour and obey the steward in charge of the house. And that household is most honourable and most happy that is well-governed, with each member of the family knowing his place, working together with every other member in love for the welfare of the whole family. His Work The pastor’s work is “to give them their portion of meat in due season.” How I wish I could make this generation understand that it is the work, the calling, and the responsibility of gospel preachers to feed the church of God with knowledge and understanding, with gospel truth (Jeremiah 3:15; Acts 20:28). It is not the pastor’s work to be a good socialiser, an analyst, a therapist, a counsellor, a priest, or a community door knocker. God’s servants are preachers! They feed the house of God by preaching the gospel, by opening the bread of life and dispensing it to the family. If a pastor does that, he has to spend his time in his study, not running the roads and chasing ambulances (2 Timothy 2:15). It is the work of the pastor “to give”, not to take (Ezekiel 34:7-8). That which is to be given is “meat”. It is not our business to enact laws, but to give meat. It is not our business to regulate the lives of men, but to feed their souls. And that with which God’s servants feed his children is the sweet meat of the gospel, not the husks of intellectualism, the mists of mysticism, the stones of useless doctrinal speculation, or the poison of heresy. God’s servants come with the meat of saving grace in the knowledge of Christ, declaring ruin by the fall, redemption by the blood, and regeneration by the Holy Spirit! We are to feed the saints of God with “meat in due season”. The Word of God must be rightly divided; and each member of the family must be fed with the meat that is suitable for him at the time: grace for the guilty, pardon for the fallen, redemption for the ruined, righteousness for the wicked, cleansing for the defiled, reproof for the wayward, comfort for the troubled, strength for the weak, Christ for all! His Character Our Lord describes his servants as men with these two traits of character: “faithful and wise”. God’s servants are faithful men (1 Corinthians 4:2). They are stewards of the mysteries of God, of the manifold grace of God, and of the unsearchable riches of Christ (1 Corinthians 4:1; 1 Peter 4:10; Ephesians 3:8). John Gill wrote … “They are faithful to the trust reposed in them. They preach the pure gospel of Christ, and the whole of it; conceal no part, nor keep anything of it; seek not to please men, but God; neither seek their own things, their ease, honour, and profit, but the glory of God, the honour of Christ, and the good of souls; and abide by the truths, cause, and interest of the Redeemer at all costs.” A faithful minister of Jesus Christ is one that sincerely seeks his Master’s honour, not his own. He preaches Christ crucified in all the counsel of God, not his own thoughts and whims. He follows Christ’s doctrine and adheres to his ordinances exactly as the Master gave them. And he exercises the work of the ministry, caring for the souls of men, without respect of persons. As they are faithful, God’s servants are wise. They are neither faithful nor wise by nature; but God makes them faithful and wise by grace and by his gifts upon them, making them fit and able ministers of the gospel. They are well-instructed in the things of God, given a clear understanding in the doctrine of the gospel, and wisely exercise their talents and gifts for the glory of God. They constantly seek to improve their knowledge and understanding of the scriptures, making the best use of their time in prayer and study, labouring in the word and doctrine of Christ. They arrange and manage the affairs of their lives to best serve Christ and his people. God graciously gives his servants wisdom to guide and direct his people and to care for them, as a father guides and cares for his family. The faithful and wise pastor is a man who is doing what God called him to do. “Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing” (Luke 12:43). God’s servant always has something to do. And he is always found doing what he has been sent and called of God to do. He is not found dreaming, or loitering, or talking, but doing his Master’s will and work, feeding his sheep. God’s servant is constant in his labour and perseveres in the work God has put into his hands. Someone once asked John Calvin, “What do you want the Lord to find when he comes?” Calvin answered, “I want him to find me not idle when he comes?” His Reward “Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath” (Luke 12:43-44). The scriptures nowhere teach, or even imply that there shall be degrees of reward in heaven. That is contrary to everything taught in the gospel (Romans 8:17). Certainly, our Lord does not exalt one servant in his kingdom above another. But God does reward faithfulness, both in this world and in the world to come. Those who are faithful over a few things shall be made Lord over many things (Luke 19:17). Frequently, God honours faithful service by giving greater service to perform. God’s servants shall find immensely great reward in seeing those for whom they have laboured around the throne of Christ in glory (1 Thessalonians 2:19). And God’s faithful and wise servants shall themselves inherit all things with Christ in glory (John 17:5; John 17:22). “He will make him lord over all that he hath.” “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion” (Isaiah 52:7-8). “I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence. And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth” (Isaiah 62:6-7). “And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves” (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13). God’s Evil Servants “But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more” (Luke 12:45-48). Here our Lord Jesus describes those men who are evil servants in the house of God. Here again, our Lord gives us four things which are descriptive of that man who is a false prophet, an evil servant in the house of God. I will not say much about him. But you will see immediately what such a man is. His Character Unbelief (Luke 12:45) “My lord delayeth his coming.” His Conduct “But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken” (Luke 12:45). In other words, he is legalistic, judgmental, and self-serving. His Astonishment “The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers” (Luke 12:46). “His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter” (Isaiah 56:10-11). His Doom (Luke 12:46-48) In every age, both the faithful and the evil are sovereignly controlled, ruled, overruled, and absolutely under the dominion of our great God. Used by him to accomplish all his will in all the earth. Blessed be the name of the Lord! “I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished! Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law”

Luke 12:49-53

Chapter 82 “I Am Come To Send Fire On The Earth” In Luke 12:49 the Lord Jesus Christ makes a statement that must be shocking to many as they read it. “I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?” What does that mean? I do not pretend to know all that is contained in this passage of Scripture, but there is much here to cheer the hearts of God’s elect, inspiring us with devotion, zeal in the cause of Christ, and joyful assurance and hope with regard to everlasting glory. And there is much here to strike terror in the hearts of rebels against the King of Glory and those who merely pretend to serve him in this world. The Lord Jesus Christ is our Master and Lord, yet he washed his disciples’ feet. But that is not all. If we are his, if when he comes again he finds us watching for him and serving him, our Master and Lord declares that in that day, in all his robes of glory, he shall gird himself and serve us (Luke 12:35-37). What a remarkable declaration of grace!Rebels Warned Then, in Luke 12:38-40 our Saviour issues a warning to all who yet believe not. Believers are people who live in the anticipation, hope, and expectation of the Lord’s return. We are watching for him. Only the unbelieving imagine that he delays his coming. Suppose the Son of God were to appear in his glory as you read the words on this page. Where would you be?

Have you lived all your life as if you were your own master? Do you refuse to bow to Christ, refuse to be his servant? Where will you be when the Lord Jesus returns in his glory? Read Luke 12:41-44 if you dare.“Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all? And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.” What rewards Christ has in store for his own people eye has not yet seen, ear has not yet heard, and heart has not yet conceived. We cannot begin to imagine the glory that awaits us in heaven! If we are Christ’s servants and the servants of our brethren in this world, he will make us rulers over all that he has in the world to come. I have no idea what that means; but it’s got to be good. It is a matter of absolute certainty. We shall reign with Christ forever!

But that is not true of all. “But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers” (Luke 12:45-46). Hell’s Horrors I have no idea what the horrors of hell are; but horrors they are! What horror, what terror, what everlasting torment shall be the punishment of every unfaithful steward! The preacher who is untrue to his professed calling! The professed believer, who says that he is a child of God, and a servant of Christ, and yet is unfaithful to his Master and Lord! The evil servant is pictured here as that man or woman who is religious, but self-serving, self-righteous, judgmental of others and cruel. Read the Lord’s words again, and tremble. We are often accused of exaggerating about hell and the wrath of God in the world to come. But, the fact is, these things have not yet been spoken of adequately by any mortal. Read the Book of God. You will find in the holy scriptures expressions about hell, the wrath of God, and the torments of the damned that are unparalleled in the writings of men. Hell is a bottomless pit, a place of unquenchable fire, gnawing worms that never die, blackness, darkness, abandonment, everlasting hopelessness, fire and brimstone, torment, and death, an everlasting dying under an everlasting curse! No, we do not overstate the matter. These are the words of him who loved as never a man loved, of him who is the most tender, gracious, compassionate spirit in the universe. “The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.” Added to everything else, those who find themselves in hell will forever be tormented by the fact that it is their just due!“And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more” (Luke 12:47-48). Let each judge for himself or herself what talents, abilities, and opportunities the Lord God has put in your trust. We must never be content to have done this or that. We are responsible to serve our Master, our Lord, our God in proportion with the talents, abilities, and opportunities he has given us. Who among us is not humbled, broken, and ashamed before God when he thinks of this? But this passage speaks distinctly of those who serve themselves and not God who made them. Great talents, gifts, abilities, and opportunities are great responsibilities. They are to be feared rather than coveted. Those who seek great things for themselves seek great damnation for their souls. Gospel Fire “I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I if it be already kindled?” (Luke 12:49). The Son of God did not come to send peace on the earth but a sword. Nothing in all the world is more unifying than the gospel of the grace of God; but nothing is more divisive. It is our Lord’s intention that it should be. The language of this passage in the original is very, very strong. John Trapp very accurately paraphrased it: “I am come to send fire on the earth. Let the fire kindle as soon as it will. I am contented. I know much good will come of it.” The gospel of Christ is not a creed enshrined in a temple, but a fire burning in the soul. The gospel is not a theological system entombed in the brain, but a fire erupting in the heart. The gospel is not an icy system of ceremonies and rituals, but a fire burning in the earth. Our Saviour here tells us that the gospel is an ardent, fervent, flaming thing a subject that stirs enthusiasm a theme that rouses intense devotion something that excites men’s souls stirs them in the depths of their beings. The gospel does this both in those who love it and in those who hate it. Men may be and often are indifferent about religion; but no one is indifferent about the gospel. It is a fire, the fire that our Lord Jesus came to send on the earth, the fire he was anxious to light by his death, resurrection, and exaltation, and by the out pouring of his Spirit upon all flesh. But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished” (Luke 12:50). How anxious our Lord was to suffer and die for us! How anxious he was to glorify the Father by his sacrifice as our Substitute! How anxious he was to redeem and save his people! How anxious he still is to bring us to glory. And as the direct result of his work at Calvary, there is a division among men. The gospel we preach is a fire in the earth, a dividing fire. Read Luke 12:51-53. “Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.” This is exactly what Paul tells us in Galatians 5:11. The cross of Christ is an offence to men. It always has been and always will be. The clear, simple preaching of the gospel, the message of the cross, the doctrine of the crucified Christ is an offence. It divides men. It divides friends.

It divides families. It divides churches. Why? What is there in the gospel that causes such offence? The offence of the gospel is the fact that it is a declaration of salvation by grace alone, without works. It offends man’s dignity, because it addresses all men as sinners.

It offends man’s wisdom, because it asserts that salvation comes only by divine revelation. Christ cannot be known by anyone, except he reveal himself to you and in you. It offends man’s pride, because it declares that the only way of salvation is substitution, particular and effectual redemption, and imputed righteousness. It offends man’s love of self, because it demands surrender to Christ as Lord. It offends man’s sense of self worth, because it declares that salvation is by grace alone, distinguishing, free, sovereign, irresistible, effectual grace. This gospel by which we are saved, this gospel which is always so divisive is the good news of heaven. It is “how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures”, not the mere fact that Christ died, but “how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:1-3). He died as our voluntary Surety, our justice-satisfying Substitute, our effectual, sin-atoning Sacrifice. The gospel of Christ is the revelation of God as a just God and a Saviour, the revelation of the righteousness of God in the exercise of saving grace (Isaiah 45:21; Romans 3:24-26). The Comparison The Master says, “I am come to send fire on the earth.” “Is not my Word like a fire? Saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29). How can the gospel be compared to fire. If you read the Book of God, you cannot avoid being struck with the extraordinary doctrine of the gospel revealed in its sacred pages. If ever the Lord God applies it to your heart, it will cease to be matters of curiosity, philosophy, and religious theory and debate. It will grab your soul, pierce your heart, and radically and forever change your life. Perhaps that which first overwhelms the heart of a sinner in the experience of grace is the wondrous revelation of the love, mercy, and grace of God in Christ. What sweet, golden words these are: “God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16; 1 John 3:1; 1 John 3:16; 1 John 4:9-10). Pause, O my soul, and think about the love of God! Eternal, electing love! Undeserved, free, and unconditional Love! Redeeming, sin-atoning love! Everlasting, unquenchable love! The Son of God loved me, and gave himself for me. Imagine that! This is the wondrous revelation of the gospel: The love of God is revealed and known only in connection with the most astonishing display of justice, wrath, and severity imaginable The sacrifice of God’s own dear Son! If ever you come to know God, if ever God reveals his Son in you, if ever you learn the gospel, it will come to you like fire and ignite a fire in your soul. That is what Isaiah tells us he experienced (Isaiah 6:1-7) The gospel of the grace of God is the sword of the Lord. And it is fire. It cannot sleep. The truths of the gospel: blood atonement, free justification, complete forgiveness, salvation by grace, are not just words and religious slogans. They are living principles. Like the breath in our lungs, they cannot be contained. They must break out. And when they do, they break out like fire in the earth. As soon as you confess the gospel of Christ in the ears of men, you will see the meaning of our Lord’s words, “I am come to send fire on the earth … and (with the fire) division.” But in Luke 12 our Lord Jesus is primarily talking about the preaching of the gospel. He who makes his ministers a flame of fire, puts fire in them. The fire in the preacher who is sent of God is not merely the fire of emotionalism, or the fire of brilliant intellect, or the fire of passionate oratory. It is something far greater. It is the power and influence of God the Holy Spirit upon his servants. The Holy Ghost sent down from heaven anoints all true evangelists, and is the true power and fire of every true gospel ministry. I will leave it to others to explain or debate that fact; but that is the fact. God Almighty makes his ministers a flame of fire; and when they preach the gospel, the effect is always the same. It causes a division. Some believe and some believe not. And those who believe not always turn upon those who believe in a mad rage of fury, just as Cain did upon Abel. The gospel, like fire, is wondrously pure. There is no mixture of impurity, error, or unrighteousness in it. It is free from every alloy of earth. And it is altogether spiritual. Christ, our Altar, is a spiritual altar, not a carnal one. Our sacrifices to our God are spiritual sacrifices, offered from spiritual motives. We worship God in the Spirit. The gospel, like fire, gives light. It gives the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. It sheds light upon our hearts and teaches us about ourselves, exposing our sin. The gospel gives us the light of God’s salvation, light about the world and time, and light about judgment and eternity. The gospel, like fire, has a great testing quality. Nothing tests earthly things like fire. And nothing tests spiritual and heavenly things like the gospel (1 Corinthians 3:13). By that which is written in the Book of God, and by that alone we test and prove every doctrine, every ordinance, every religious practice, and every religious trend. The gospel, like fire, is cheering and comforting. Those who have experienced it find that the cold of this world no longer pinches as it once did. We may be poor, but the gospel’s fire takes away the chilliness of poverty. We may be sick, but the gospel gives our souls joy even in the body’s decay. We may be slandered and neglected, but the gospel honours us in the sight of God. The gospel, wherever it is experienced in the heart, becomes a divine source of matchless consolation. Fire is tremendously aggressive. So is the gospel of Christ. Take a few live coals, put them down in a pile of dry straw, and tell the fire, “I have given you a pile of straw to burn. Now burn, burn away to your heart’s content. That straw is yours. But you can go no further. You must burn only this pile of straw. Give off no sparks or flames. Ignite nothing else.” While you are talking so foolishly, you will soon find your barn in a heap of ashes. Fire is aggressive. It is never naturally contained. So it is with the gospel. It spreads as naturally as fire and licks up everything in its path, wherever the Wind of Heaven blows it. As fire ultimately prevails, so the gospel of Christ shall prevail. It is clearly revealed in scripture that as the world was once destroyed by water, it will a second time be destroyed by fire. It is predestined that earth and all the works that are therein shall be burnt up, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. Fire will win the day. The oceans roll and roar, as it were, in great pride, and laugh at fire; but fire will lick up the waters of the sea with its tongues of flame. All the cities, and nations, and elements of the earth shall soon be consumed with fire. So it is with the gospel. The seas of iniquity shall ultimate dissolve before our God and his Christ. The day shall soon come when the fire of the gospel shall make the whole world to be a burnt-offering unto the Lord God Most High. One more comparison: Like fire, the gospel consumes (Psalms 39:4; Psalms 39:10-11). When the Lord God, by the application of the gospel, makes a man to know his end, the measure of his days, and how frail he is, he is consumed by the revelation. Blessed Saviour, send your fire, and consume my unbelief, my pride and self-righteousness, consume my apathy and indifference, my love of the world, consume my heart, consume my life! “Now, for the love I bear his name, What was my gain I count my loss; My former pride I call my shame, And nail my glory to his cross. Yes, and I must and will esteem All things but loss for Jesus’ sake: O may my soul be found in him, And of his righteousness partake.”

Luke 12:54-59

Chapter 83 Discerning The Time In these verses our Lord Jesus spoke specifically to the common people, the people who heard his doctrine and saw his miracles, those men and women who claimed to believe God, who claimed to be the people of God. Yet, he denounces them in exactly the same way as he had denounced the scribes, the Sadducees and the Pharisees, as hypocrites. Their teachers and preachers were blind men, but wilfully blind as well. Both the religious leaders and the people who followed them, our Lord here denounces and rebukes as hypocrites. Our Responsibility First, we must understand that it is our responsibility in this day, the day in which we live, to judge what is right by discerning the time in which we live (Luke 12:54-57). Our Master is not here suggesting that natural men have spiritual discernment. The scriptures universally declare that the natural man is totally blind to all things spiritual and ignorant (1 Corinthians 2). What he does tell us is that his claims as the Christ, the Messiah, the Saviour of the world were so evidently true that the only reason the men and women of his generation did not acknowledge him as such, the only reason they did not judge what was right was the fact that they were not honest. They were hypocrites. The sceptre of civil government had departed from Judah.

Daniel’s seventieth week had been fulfilled. Elijah (John the Baptist) had come. And our Lord’s miracles clearly attested his Messiahship. Yet, the men and women of his day refused to acknowledge that which was manifestly true and right. Why? They chose their religious customs and refused to give them up. They preferred the approval and acceptance of men to the approval and acceptance of God. They loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. They loved religion, but hated God. They were unwilling to be separated from family and friend for the truth and glory of God. We read in 1 Chronicles 12:32 that “the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do.” Oh, how desperately we need such men today! Israel was passing through some troublesome, unsettling times. Critical issues had to be faced and dealt with. At a time when the cause and kingdom of God was under assault, the men of Issachar understood the times and stepped forward. They knew what had to be done, and they did it. I repeat, we desperately need such men today. Let us judge, discern, and seek to understand the times in which we live. I ask only that we read the Book of God. In the light of the plain statements of holy scripture, I assert that we are living in perilous times of Apostasy, divine judgment, and spiritual darkness, such as the world has never seen before (Romans 1:18-32; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-16; 1 Timothy 4:1-3; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Revelation 20:1-8). These are days of horrid apostasy. These are times of unparalleled evil, moral degeneracy, political corruption, and spiritual darkness. These are times of horrible indifference and spiritual lukewarmness. These are times of universal compromise. These are times of ambiguity and tolerance toward everything abominable and evil, and times of utter intolerance for the truth and glory of God. What does this day require of us? What do these present, perilous times demand of you and me? Times like these demand of God’s people a bold, uncompromising, unflinching adherence to the singular authority of holy scripture, a distinct and decided, untiring declaration of gospel doctrine, and faithfulness, dedication and sacrifice for the cause of Christ. Times like these demand of us a clear recognition of our most important priorities and our most weighty responsibilities, and a diligent watchfulness over our own souls. This day is God’s day and these times are God’s times. Let there be no mistake about that fact. This is the day God has made for us. What a great day in which to serve him! I would rather live in this day than any other. Never was there a day that provided the church of God with greater needs, greater opportunities, and greater means of usefulness than we have at our fingertips. Day Of Grace Now, I want you to look at Luke 12:58-59 and learn that this is the day of grace and salvation. If you are wise, you will make it your business to be delivered from your adversary before you meet your Judge. Today is the day of salvation. Tomorrow will be too late. The Lord Jesus here compares us to a man on his way to meet the magistrate, the judge, with an adversary. You and I are on our way to meet the God of Glory on his great white throne judgment seat. The adversary walking with us is God’s holy, condemning law. If we are not delivered from the claims of this adversary before we meet God in judgment, we must forever be cast into hell. The only way we can ever appease this adversary is by a mighty Advocate, who has a payment, a sacrifice by which he is and must be satisfied. That Advocate and Sacrifice is the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17 to 2 Corinthians 6:2; 1 John 2:1-2; 1 John 4:9-10; Romans 8:1; Galatians 3:13-14; Colossians 2:12-15; 1 Peter 3:18). Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be reconciled to God. The time is short. Judgment is at hand. “We pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”