Mindbending Jesus statements

“Mindbending Jesus statements” Luke 12:1-12

Intro…Turn the other cheek, the meek will inherit the earth, the first will be last and the last will be first, take up your cross and follow me, hate your father and mother etc. These are “Mindbending Jesus statements.”
• “Vintage Jesus” series…these are famous quotes many people are familiar with…and only someone like Jesus is qualified to make a statement like these.
Text: Luke 12:6-12

Big Pic: God has a personal interest in our everyday affairs.

Background:
• In the first 4 vs. Jesus is warning people to be on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees which is hypocrisy. Why?
• The Pharisees had a bad habit of trying to appear holy when their hearts were far from God.
• These attitudes couldn’t be hidden forever (v. 2-3).
• The Pharisees where just power hungry
• Speaking to a crowd of many thousands trampling on each other.
• In vs. 6-12 Jesus reminds this crowd of what is really important.

v. 5 “Fear him…who has the power to throw you into hell.”
• Yikes! But that has to be recognized.
• God alone has the power to decide who enters heaven and who enters hell. Rev. 20:10
• Yes, we make choices, but there is predestination. Remember, we don’t know who God has chosen, so let’s not guess…
• God’s personal interest is that we make the right choice.
• Just make sure that you aren’t going to hell.

v. 7 “The very hairs of you head are all numbered.”
• What? Actually? Yes, God could tell you the exact number of hairs on your head if he needed to.
• Our true value is what God thinks of us, not others.
• God cares for us, as he does all of his creation, because we belong to him.
• God cares about every detail of your life.
• God’s personal interest is that nothing is too small or insignificant.
v. 8-9 “Whoever disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.”
• We need to be willing to make a public stand for God.

• Initially that means becoming a Christian…but we also deny or disown Jesus when we:
• Hope that no one will find out we are a Christian
• Decide not to speak up for what is right
• Are silent about our relationship with God
• Compromise culturally

• What we should be doing is:
• Living a godly life, look for opportunities to talk about our faith, serve others, take a stand for justice, acknowledge loyalty to Christ, carry out God’s desires instead of our own.
• God’s personal interest is that we are proud of our relationship with him.

v. 10 “Anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.”
• We may think there are other unforgivable sins, but this is actually the only one. What exactly is it?
• It’s denying or rejecting the Holy Spirit’s prompting of your heart, or his power in your life.
• Closing your heart to God.
• It’s the deliberate refusal to acknowledge God and his power, having nothing to do with God.
• A deliberate and irreversible hardness of heart. Turning your back on God and rejecting all faith.
• This person can’t be forgiven because they will never ask for forgiveness. It’s called pride and ego.
• The first step to coming to God is admitting your fault and need of God.
• If you are afraid you’ve committed this sin, that actually a good sign that you haven’t!
• So remember, blasphemy is a serious offense!
• We should all look at this word in a different way now…
• God’s personal interest is that we don’t reject his offer of salvation.


v. 11 “Do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”
• Just imagine the disciples a bunch of uneducated fishermen going at it with the educated Jewish leaders…
• They might have been rough around the edges, but what God did in their lives was undeniable. Same with all of us today.
• This is actually a very comforting verse, especially when it comes to talking to others about your faith.
• Even if we “had all the answers,” the Holy Spirit still needs to speak to people and soften their hearts.
• However, this isn’t an excuse to not be prepared.
• We are still called to diligent study of God’s word etc.
• God’s personal interest is that we trust him and let his power show for itself.

Conclusion: The sayings of Jesus are important to understand. They give us a deeper insight into our faith and the Christian life.